Judge's gavel in courtroom - (Photo: Courtesy).

The Bishop of Aweiral Episcopal Church has been dragged to court by a family for allegedly wasting their daughter’s time and abandoning his biological daughter born 10 years ago.

Clergyman Dau Akau Kuol stand accused of “illegal marriage” to Amos Awan’s daughter and fathering a 10-year-old girl whom he is said to have disclaimed.

The defendant appeared in court on Thursday after his immunity was lifted by the Archbishop of Eastern Bahr El Ghazal Internal Province of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Alphayo Manyang Kuctiel

Esther Amos, an elder sister to the abandoned woman told Eye Radio that the Bishop had lied he would marry the mother of the 10-year-old child.

“Today is the first hearing and the next will be on 22 June, 2023. His (bishop’s) lawyers asked my family, and my father plus my uncle just said we need a marriage and this is why we came here,” Ester said in an interview with Eye Radio from Juba High Court.

“After the judge said the lawyer is defending Bishop Akau, my father said okay we need him to marry sister, because he’s been delaying my sister with ‘I will marry you!’ ‘I will marry you!’ and he went and marry another woman.”

“That is the problem and that all brought this, because you cannot promise me and if you’re a man and you promise me and I give birth to you, I have a child with you and you have just jumped and you have been delaying me, you’re been wasting my time.”

“The child is now ten years turning to eleven, what is the meaning of that, and he went and married and he’s denying my sister.”

Efforts to contact the accused Bishop and his lawyers were not immediately successful.

Article 265 of South Sudan Penal Code 2008 says, “Whoever, dishonestly or with a fraudulent intent goes through the ceremony of being married knowing that he or she is not thereby lawfully married, commits an offense, and upon conviction, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or with a fine or with both.

It also stipulates that every person who by deceit causes any other person who is not lawfully married to him or her to believe that he or she is lawfully married to him or her and to cohabit or have sexual intercourse with him or her in that belief, commits an offense.