The defense lawyer of teachers released on bail in Jonglei State over the weekend has been arrested over failure by his clients to pay a court bond.

Last Friday, the State High Court in the state capital, Bor, sentenced 23 teachers to one month imprisonment and fined each a sum of 1,000 pounds.

The court ruled that the teachers intended to attack the State Minister of Education during a past meeting instead of addressing their complaints to the ministry peacefully. The teachers had been calling for the reinstatement of 11 colleagues who were dismissed over a pay strike.

The teachers were fine with a sum of 21,000 pounds.

Following the court ruling, defense lawyer, Mayen Maker said he requested for the teachers to be released on bail of SSP 10,000 on condition that he would pay the remaining 11,000 pounds in a few days. However, Mr Maker told Eye Radio that by Tuesday, he had not collected the required amount – on time -leading his arrest on .

However, Maker says the High Court can not issue a warrant of arrest on anybody.

“I told him you are high court judge…so why are you interfering with a case of the county court judge?,” said Maker.

Bor town Police Inspector, Brigadier Ajang John Jok confirmed the arrest, saying the police was only implementing the directives of a legal institution.

“This is coming from court, we don’t have anything. It is the high court that brought him here, and so we are just implementing the law,” said Brigadier Ajang.

It is not clear how long the court will hold Maker in prison.