Garbage trucks for the East Africa Go-Green Company. (Photo: JCC).

The Mayor of Juba City says his decision to block court order to confiscate the assets of contractor – East Africa Go-Green Company was for the company to continue keeping the city clean until the court reaches a verdict.

Michael Ladu Allah-Jabu made the remarks after a lawyer who accused him of interfering with the execution of the legal process.

On February 7, Kator Payam Court in Juba, directed the police to seize the assets and properties belonging to the company until the court issues its final verdict on the case.

The case involves an alleged breach of contract by the East Africa Go-Green Company after acquiring a two-point-five ($2.5) million US dollars loan from the Simon Trading Company.

Mayor Allah-Jabu has been accused of blocking the asset freeze on the Go-Green Company, which is alleged to have failed to pay the debts.

In response, the mayor admitted to interfering with the court order.

Allah-Jabu said the issue between Simon Trading Company and East Africa Go-Green is an internal problem that must not affect the garbage collection contract, unless a judgement is passed.

“We are surprised to hear that they have an internal problem and that they want to sell the trucks and they want to stop the business of the cleaning, why and how?”

The mayor said the city could be full of rubbish if the company suspends its operation.

“How can we survive without garbage collection? That is why we interfered in that we are part and partial of these contracts.”

“So, they will not stop this thing without our involvement, and I am very clear that we are part and partial of the agreement, this means in the event of any problem among them we need also to be there.”

“Even in the court we need also to be in the court because we have our legal advisors that have the copies of all the contracts.”

A document seen by Eye Radio shows that the East Africa Go-Green signed the contract with Simon Trading Company in 2021 for the activities of garbage collections in the capital.

According to the agreement, Go-Green took the loans to finance the cleaning and beautification of Juba city.

The agreement states that the East Africa Go-Green would pay the loan with a 35% interest in a monthly settlement of the gross borrowing.

However, the East Africa Go-Green allegedly failed to pay back the money it borrowed from Simon Trading Company and the accrued interest.

After the dispute emerged, the Go-Green notified Simon Trading company that it has stopped paying the money due to challenges.

As a result, the trading company filed a lawsuit against the Go-Green Company demanding the payment.

Godfrey Victor is the lawyer of the Simon Trading Company.

He said the Kator Payam Court Judge, Thomas Deng Jagu presiding over the matter, issued an order directing the police to confiscate Go-Green assets.

But Mayor Allah-Jabu reportedly interfered with the court order.

“When we went to execute the order of the court with a court official, the Mayor came and stopped executing same so disrupting, who is the Mayor of Juba City Council to stop the order of the court?”

“The Mayor stopped the order of the court and instructed the padlocks to be opened and he collected the keys of the car that court officials took he said he will not allow this company to be closed and if this company is closed he will resign.”

In January 2022, the Juba City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the East Africa Go-Green for garbage collection.

However, officials and residents said the Go-Green company has failed to keep Juba clean as promised despite collecting garbage fees from the public.

Eye Radio efforts to contact East Africa Go-Green for comments went unsuccessful.