Fraud and Corruption Hit South Sudan Embassy in South Africa

South Sudan’s Ambassador in South Africa Mr Philip Jada Natana and his Deputy Mr John Simon Yor fraud more than half a million US dollars public funds by inflating the price of property to be purchasing as South Sudan’s Embassy Chancery in Pretoria, South Africa

By Anonymous Insider,

May 10, 2016(Nyamilepedia) ——- In the early December 2015, Mr Philip Jada Natana, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Sudan to the Republic of South Africa and his Deputy Ambassador John Simon Yor have submitted a fake quote of $1.2 million US Dollars to the government of South Sudan to purchase the embassy of South Sudan’s Chancery in Pretoria, South Africa. However, investigation has found that the actual price of the building is only $ 690, 000 USD (six hundred ninety thousands United State of America dollars), which is equal to 10 millions South African Rand, according to South African currency exchange rate.

Unfortunately, the house price was inflated by $510, 000 USD (five hundred ten thousand United State of America dollars) by Ambassador Philip Jada Natana to squander the public fund that can be seen as direct abuse of trust and power. It is absurd that Ambassador Philip Jada Natana abused and betrayed his good relationships and trust with the President to secure the public money in a fraudulent manner but the controversy did not end there.

Amb. Philip got the approval of the requested $1.2 USD in late December 2015 despite the economic crisis that the country has been going through where in fact some Missions abroad went for more than five months without salaries, operation cost and rents.

On 31 March 2016, the government of South Sudan transferred $1.2m to the Embassy of South Sudan in Pretoria in order to buy the property. Prior to the release of the money, Ambassador Natana made a dirty technique by assigning two diplomats from Warrap, the home state of the President. The two officials were Ambassador Mou Mou Ring and Mr Ajing Deng Ajing, who is currently working for the Office of the President, to make follow up on the money and promised them a commission of 10% of the money. However, two weeks after transferring the money, Ambassador Mou Ring who had been in Juba since December, flights to Pretoria with aim to collect their promised commission. To his trip official he claimed that he was sent by the Office of the President as a committee to purchase the building. However, on the 18^th of April 2016, he returned to Juba after one week busy meetings with Ambassador Philip Jada Natana and his Deputy John Simon.

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Ambassador Philip Jada Natana refused to involve anybody including the national and military security staff at the embassy on the procedures of purchasing the property, despite the fact that it is a public property being bought with public fund. Instead he threaten everybody at the embassy that the money was from the Office of the President and he has good relationships with the President that no one has the power and right at the embassy to question him for accountability and transparency. A number of the meetings were held at the Embassy in attempt to engage Ambassador Philip Jada that the building could be bought in a transparency manner but all failed.

It is worth mentioned in this report that South African’s law requires that before both seller and buyer engage in any sort of negotiations on prices and other terms of the property, the seller or owner of the property must present the certificate of Municipal and property valuations to the buyer to confirm worthiness of the property. This also contributes to how to charge the price of the property. It is also importance to mention that if the proper channel of buying the properties in South Africa had been followed, the price of this property would have been much less than this price it is now charging. Unfortunately, the Ambassador didn’t follow and don’t want to follow any of those mention criteria due to personal interests. Staff at the Embassy made a number of suggestions that committee should be formed to evaluate the building and any amount of money remain should be used to upgrade the Embassy.

Sadly, Ambassador and his Deputy defied everyone and they wanted to be the only to deal with the purchasing of the build. They claimed that they are the only trusted and mandated by the President to handle it. If the Ambassador Philip and his Deputy Ambassador John Simon deny this report, let the government institutes an independent audit from Juba to verify how the money was spent and all the facts mentioned in this report.

The report also recommended that the Office of the President, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Economic planning, Anti-corruption commission and National security should send a joint delegation to South Sudan Embassy in Pretoria to verify the facts mentioned in this report to avoid misuse of public fund by individuals in the name of the President. It is a responsibility, duty and right of every citizen of South Sudan to expose those who engage in embezzlement, other malpractices  and abuse of public funds.