Judge Abraham Major Lat seated on the bench at the high court in Aweil. Credit| UNICEF

A high court judge in Aweil, Northern Bar-el Ghazal State, has denied the accusation of judicial corruption labelled against him recently.

On Monday businessman Ajal Deng accused Judge Abraham Majur of altering a ruling he had made hours after he announced the verdict.

“It is the mandate of the court to adjust for example during the pronouncement of the judgment,” the judge Majur argued.

On the 25^th of January, Judge Majur sentenced five men to 3 months in prison for robbery with violence.

The convicts are John Piol Bol Mawien, Ugan Garang Goi, Muhammed Tong Mawien, Anei Anei Ngong and Majok Adol.

The court found the convicts guilty of robbing and torturing businessman Deng last year.

The judge ordered them to pay general damages to the complainant worth 8, 333,000

The court also ruled that the convicts pay fifty thousand pounds each as fine to the court.

However, complainant Deng said judge Majur immediately altered the ruling without giving reasons.

Reacting to the accusation, Judge Majur said he did not alter any ruling made.

“The record is there to speak for itself, the record of two lawyers are there and the record of the court is there.”

Ajal Deng had called on the state government to intervene.

But the high court judge advised Mr. Deng to seek remedy at the court of appeal or the supreme court if he feels aggrieved by the verdict.

“They have the power and they have the chance to appeal –if at all I altered the judgement, the copy of decree will not be the same. But I did not alter the judgment,” Majur concluded.

Judge Majur has been described by those who know him as “one of the more progressive judges in South Sudan, with a special interest in justice for children.”