Chief Justice Chan Reec Madut - File Photo: Madrama James/Eye Radio

The Chief Justice of South Sudan Judiciary Chan Reech Madut has acknowledged that no institution in the country is free from corruption as the country marks International Anti-Corruption Day.

Justice Madut pointed out that corruption exists in all institutions across the country, and emphasizes the urgent need for collective efforts to address the issue.

He stressed the importance of learning from the experiences of other countries in combating corruption and urges workshops to sensitize the public.

Justice Reech made the remarks during a workshop held in Juba to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.

“I also want to congratulate you bringing up this subject. I’m sure no single institution can single itself out as completely free from corruption to be frank,” Madut said during a workshop held in Juba to mark the ant-corruption day.

South Sudan was ranked as the second most corrupt country in the world along with Syria and Venezuela as Somalia toping the list, according to Transparency International’s 2023 corruption index.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

South Sudan was ranked 177th out of 180 countries after scoring 13, out of a scale of 100, while Somalia scored 11 and plunges to the bottom of the list for the second year in a row.

South Sudan has remained in that position for the last two years, after beating Somalia as the most corrupt in 2021.

“So, I hope this will not be the last workshop. We need to repeat it to repeat this so that this thing sticks into the minds of the people,” the Chief Justice added.

“As a new country we also need to learn from the experiences of other nations whether at the border level or beyond we need to learn from their experiences how they handle corruption.”

Mr. Madut further highlighted the judiciary’s role in fighting corruption, referencing Section 91 of the relevant legal framework, which grants him the authority to form special courts for corruption cases.

However, he expressed reservations about having a permanent special court, citing concerns over potential influence on judges by corrupt individuals.

“For us as the judiciary, it is mentioned in this book in this act section 91 that the Chief Justice has the power to form a special court for corruption anytime you request me to do that I will do so.”

“My personal opinion is that we should not have a permanent special court for corruption, because if the people know that judge X and Y are the one in that court, they will go around them with their corruptor practices. I prefer that we bring it up from time to time bring in new people so that they are not influenced by some people.”

The event brought together government officials, anti-corruption advocates, and representatives from various organizations to discuss strategies to tackle corruption and promote good governance in South Sudan.

This year’s International Anti-Corruption Day focuses on fostering unity and collaboration in the fight against corruption worldwide.