The former mayor of Bor town has declined to appear before a high-level investigation committee due to what he called unprocedural processes taken by the governor of Jonglei State.
In October, Denay Jock set up the committee tasked with questioning Samuel Ateny Pech over an alleged land scandal.
The land scandal involves illegal selling and leasing of private and public lands to individuals and companies during his tenure.
Ateny was dismissed from his position in February after women protested against a private investor who had claimed to have bought the land from the municipal council.
However, he said he refused to be investigated after his party SPLM rejected his investigation.
“I rejected this because my party rejected the move taken by the governor. I also refused because my community told me to not appear before them because I am no longer in the position of mayor,” Ateny told Mingkaman on Friday.
“Secondly, I am currently the appointed commissioner of Bor County. I have the immunity and its need to be lifted first before I appear before the committee.”
Ateny is a member of the ruling party, SPLM. On the other hand, Governor Denay is a representative of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance.
The appointment of Ateny as commissioner of Bor County in April 2023 angered some section of the Bor community, with some questioning the appointing authority why it would replace the then commissioner, James Tuor, with an accused man.
Tuor, according to some critics, had barely spent three months as county commissioner and never received his first salary when he got relieved.
Since then, Ateny has not been sworn in.
When contacted by Mingkaman FM, the chairperson of the investigation committee – James Mawech Makuch – says the committee has done 90 percent of the investigation.
He appealed to the general public to be patient as investigation pertaining to matters corruption does not take a short period of time.