The Governor of Lol State, Rizik Zecharia, says he has given instructions to take the governor of Wau State, Elias Waya to court in a controversy over money taken from the state accounts.

This week, during the swearing in of his new cabinet, the governor of Wau State said some millions of pounds have been withdrawn from the state accounts.

Elias Waya said the money was taken by the former governor of Western Bhar al-Ghazal State, Rizik Zecharia, and the former finance minister, Lilian Valentino.

“We got everything is zero and zero: the current account is zero, block is zero. Even the pension deductions that was six million was withdrawn by one cheque by the name of minister of finance. She withdrew this money in one day,” Mr Waya said.

“And this is people’s money. These money was deducted from the employees’ salaries and this is on our neck to pay it because is people’s money and then they said there was five millions used to be cut from here,” he said.
Finance officials also told him that some five million pound was taken by another individual.

“They said it is the former governor and what remained with us here is only three months to finish, so whose salary will be taken. So according to them these five million was taken as loan by the governor.”
For his part, Mr Rizik Zecharia has denied any wrong doing.

He told Eye Radio that his administration only borrowed five million pounds from the national government and paid it to contractors who were working on development projects.

“These are mere allegations. Yes we have borrowed money, we have borrowed 5 million from the national ministry of finance, that was last year, and I remember that was in July. Then that money has been deducted and …. that money we paid in installment of the construction of municipality and the state assembly,” Mr Rizik told Eye Radio.

“We did it in a consultation with the public, the council ministers of the state and all the transfer were clear across the South Sudan Bank at the national level and in Wau where the amount was transferred to the contractors, that is about 5 million,” he said.

Mr Rizik said former Finance Minister, Lilian Valentino, is currently preparing to take the case to court.

“The minister of finance now is establishing a case before the court because the governor has now spoiled the image of the government, my image and the image of the state finance minister and that is the way we would respond,” he said.

Mr Rizik said the case is to be filed at the high court in Juba. Mr Waya has not responded to the threats of law suit.