File: Journalist Zechariah Makuach Maror behind bar in a Juba prison.

A journalist who had been sentenced to one year in prison for allegedly defaming the former finance minister has been acquitted of the charges.

On September 14th, this year, the Juba County Court found Zechariah Makuach guilty of defamation charges.

But the defense team appealed the case.

After three months in jail, Zacharia was acquitted on Tuesday.

“We received a copy of the verdict from the high court and it says there was no crime committed by Zachariah and he didn’t defame the personality of the former minister of finance,” Defense lawyer Emmanuel Thiab Majok told by Eye Radio Wednesday.

“The appeal court overturned the initial verdict. There was no crime completely because Article 289 paragraph 3 explained exceptions that opinion writer that writes any opinion toward the public interest means there is no crime and this is what happened in the case of Zachariah Makuach.”

The accused, Zachariah Makuach was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 5000 SSP in Juba County Court three months ago.

“He’s a journalist and he used his right as Journalist through monitoring an official when he is exercising his duty,” lawyer Majok added.

The court had said Makuach, who works for ‘Agamlong’ daily newspaper, had been writing articles accusing the former Minister of Finance, Salvatore Garang, of corruption, tribalism, and nepotism.

One such article was published on January 11 by The Dawn Newspaper under the title; “Dr. Olympio Attipoe, the victim of fighting tamed corruption in South Sudan.”

In it, he praised the former commissioner-general of the National Revenue Authority for being far more effective than Salvatore.

Following the publication of such articles, the minister filed a complaint against the journalist in April 2020, accusing him of defamation and insulting his reputation.

On September 14th, the court found the journalist guilty and sentenced him to a year in prison.