Police officer dismissed for assaulting prosecutor in Lakes State

Authorities in Lakes State have dismissed a police officer for allegedly assaulting and injuring a prosecutor in Yirol West County.

Lakes State police Spokesman, Major Elijah Mabor Makuac said the suspect James Mayen picked a quarrel with Prosecutor Machar Akuei Chol, leading to a fistfight.

The argument which took place in the afternoon of Saturday, resulted in the public prosecutor suffering serious injuries, including a broken right arm.

“On the incident that occurred in Yirol West County. According to the report, I was told that the public prosecutor attorney general disputed with one of our police officers, who is a warrant officer leading to a fist fight,” Lakes State police Spokesman confirmed to Eye Radio.

“The public prosecutor attorney general was seriously injured. He said his right arm was seriously broken,” Elijah said.

Major Mabor said that the police officer was arrested following the incident while the injured prosecutor was referred to Juba for further medical care.

“A police officer was arrested and the victim was actually under very critical condition yesterday, doctors in the Yirol hospital decided to refer him to Juba for further medical management,” Elijah said.

“He was taken yesterday to Juba in the company of one of our police personnel to take care of him until this morning his relatives will come to take over after the incident the Acting Chief inspector reported this case to us here,” he said.

“The actions have been taken now and the warrant officer is dismissed from the police service and a criminal case was opened against him to appear before court to answer this case.”

Meanwhile, public prosecutor Philemon Alphonse Ikolli, who is heading Lakes State legal administration department condemned the suspect’s violent act.

He advised police officers to follow the guidance of public prosecutors during investigations and avoid committing criminal acts.

“It is a serious issue, I condemn it in the strongest terms possible because a policeman who is supposed to work under the directive of a public prosecutor attorney under whatever circumstances in the field of investigation decided to take this kind of criminal act against the public prosecutor attorney,” Alphonse said.

“The public prosecutor attorney was doing his legal duty. You see we are not here or deployed to give legal services on our own but we are doing what the law provides as our function. It was the right time, by doing the right duty,” he said.

In his view, CEPO coordinator Daniel Laat Kon attributed the problematic relationship between law enforcement agents and the judicial system to the weak legal system.

He emphasized the crucial role police officers play in arresting individuals and referring them to public prosecutors for adjudication.

Daniel Laat calls for enhanced training and awareness for police officers, especially with upcoming elections

“A police fighting, a public prosecutor attorney general of which the police are supposed to implement the law, and is supposed to work about public prosecutor attorney. When we look at the relationship between the police, and public prosecutor attorney”, said Daniel.

“It is the police that bring people to the public prosecutor’s attorney, and the public prosecutor’s attorney is the one now to follow other due process of law and if you could see the government relations,” he said.

“It’s like police don’t even know their work because their role is to implement the law, and not to violate the law ,” he added.

“If you fight someone who is working with you. Someone who is directing you, telling you to do this and that, and this is coming back into our sense that the government of South Sudan need to train police thoroughly.

“If you look at the training which is ongoing in most of the states including Lakes State, you could see the police going for a refresher training being prepared for the election.”