Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Minister of Presidential Affairs during The 6th Edition of South Sudan Oil and Power Conference that officially commences in Juba on Thursday, June 15, 2023 - Courtesy

The Minister of Presidential Affairs said on Thursday that he has been told corruption is everywhere and South Sudan is not an exception, adding that it even existed once in heaven.

Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin made the remarks during the opening of the Sixth South Sudan Oil and Power Conference in Juba on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

He said corruption is everywhere and shouldn’t be used as a political weapon to punish the whole country.

“Our Priest was telling me that you see, this corruption is serious. He said even in heaven there was corruption,” Dr Marial said.

“I asked what happened, and he said you know Lucifer who is the devil was so corrupt and God was so angry so he decided to expel him from heaven.”

“I said but Father now the devil was expelled and he landed on a human being, now where do we expel our corrupt one?”

He pointed out that the weakness of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies has contributed to the persistence of corruption in the country.

The minister stressed the need for strong and independent institutions that can hold people accountable for their actions, regardless of their social or political standings.

According to Dr Marial, building the capacity of watchdog institutions such as the police and judiciary with empowered lawyers is crucial in the fight against corruption.

He says corruption is invisible and can be eliminated through the legal system and good governance.

Marial urges the international community to help the country build the capacity of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to root out corruption.

“We can only resolve corruption by having good laws and good police so that those who are corrupt are taken care of legally because you’re not guilty until you are proven you are guilty,” said Dr Marial.

“Help us build the capacity of our police, build the capacity of our lawyers, and our judicial system,” he said. “We are making amendments in our constitution so that there’s good governance.”

“The few who get out of the way are punished through the law but not to be used as a political weapon to punish the country as a whole where there are a lot of innocent people.”

In recent years, corruption has become an increasingly pressing issue in South Sudan, with reports of embezzlement and mismanagement of public funds making headlines on a regular basis.

Last year, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranked the country as one of the most corrupt countries in the work.