Dr. Baak Barnaba Chol, the new Minister of Finance and Planning speaks in Juba. (Photo: Obaj Okuj)

The Minister of Finance and Planning has said some government delegations travelling outside the country for official missions often request what he termed ‘exaggerated’ amount of money.

Dr. Bak Barnaba said his administration has received a number of requests for amounts which he said, are unnecessary.

He said the ministry has turned down such requests, adding that the institution is working on reducing government expenditure.

“We are reducing cost of expenditure, so we will temporarily introduce austerity measures in some of our spending,” he said.

Dr. Bak said all government employees should adhere to the per diem structure set by the parliament.

“When a government delegation travels abroad, there is a per diem structure, that everybody must adhere to. In my few months in the office, I have seen some institutions overstepping that mandate or structure.”

“People who are going for a trip in Uganda, a very important government mission of course that we must facilitate, but with exaggerated number (amount of money).”

He was speaking during a joint press conference held by the finance ministry and the Bank of South Sudan in Juba on Saturday.

“Someone going near here to Uganda, maybe three people, they request for 150,000 [USD] to go to Uganda for a government mission, when you tell them go back and look at the per diem structure approved by the legislature, he/she insists that no you must pay.”

“If you say no, I don’t have money, then they will say, this minister is a bad person, he must go. Yes, I will go and even the next person will implement the law if we really want to make reforms.”