By Yiep Joseph
The South Sudan government has dismissed two documents circulating on social media and termed them fake.
The documents allegedly link a private company to the appointment of a senior government official and a $15 million payment intended to influence government officials and public institutions.
Information Minister and government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said Monday that the documents, allegedly issued by Capital Pay International Limited and its sister company, Crawford Capital International Limited, were fabricated and should not be treated as authentic government or corporate records.
“The first document falsely claimed to appoint Honourable Nhial Deng Nhial as a group executive for regional and global expansion at Capital Pay Limited,” Ateny told reporters in Juba.
“The second document falsely claims to authorise the payment of US$15 million for activities intended to influence government officials and public institutions,” he added.
The minister described both documents as “fake, fraudulent, and malicious publications” and urged the public and media not to cite, circulate, or rely on them.
Ateny said Crawford Capital International Limited, one of the companies named in the documents, was legitimately contracted by the South Sudan government following the approval of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 34-2024, adopted on September 14, 2024.
He said the company’s mandate was to support the government’s digital transformation program, including the development of electronic government services and a digital revenue management system.
The minister linked the latest allegations to previous cases in which individuals allegedly forged the signature of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to facilitate fraudulent withdrawals of public funds.
According to Ateny, those individuals were apprehended, but the president later exercised clemency.
“That exceptional act of clemency must never be construed as weakness, tolerance of criminality, or a license to repeat such offenses,” Ateny said.
He warned that authorities would pursue those behind the latest documents regardless of their connections.
“All persons involved in the creation, financing, coordination, publication, circulation, or distribution of the current fraudulent materials will be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
“Anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law, and no individual, network, or group will be shielded from accountability.”
Ateny said relevant authorities had been instructed to establish the origin of the documents and investigate those responsible for producing and circulating them.
He urged citizens, media organisations, government institutions, development partners, and businesses to verify information through official government channels before acting on documents circulating online.