By Philip Buda Ladu
The Minister of Finance and Planning Agak Achuil Lual has revealed that fake financial claims are the most chaotic scenarios giving him headache as people flock to the ministry claiming payment for forged medical referrals and nonexistent contracts payments.
The minister made the revelation while speaking at a thanks giving ceremony organized to celebrate the appointment of the First Undersecretary for Finance at the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Juba on Saturday.
He said it is very unfortunate for them to come to the ministry at the most difficult time of financial crisis that when you want to get 500,000 US dollars or one billion South Sudanese pounds you will not get.
“These are the difficult time to work at the ministry of Finance if you tell someone that there is no money, they will say please do something especially for my kinsmen they will say look down there! I will say there is no money but they insist that look on the ground yet there is no money on the ground,” Agak said.
He stressed that these are the most difficult times for one to be Minister of Finance and the First Undersecretary in the Ministry of Finance because the time you say there is no money, South Sudanese will not understand things.
However, the Minister of Finance said he believes with his knowledge and the experience and expertise of his First Undersecretary and the team, they will succeed.
Agak said despite the fact that there is no money they will use their minds to generate money adding that there are revenues which when collected and managed well it can pay the whole salaries of government employees.
The Minister of Finance urged the people to help them succeed in their assignment of managing the country’s finances by not forging paper of claim without anything in it.
“There are people who can take a blank paper and come to the Ministry of Finance and say you know I have medical referral help me. I built a police station in Gudele I need my pay. My people which police station in Gudele built with a lot of money and yet the police station is not existing” Agak exclaimed.
The minister advised people who would want to seek for financial help from the Ministry of Finance and Planning to carry a valid paper with genuine claim such that they will give them what they deserve.
Agak warned those without valid claims that they shouldn’t come to the ministry thinking he will help them.
“If you know its false claims, please don’t say I know Agak will go and make it for me. Please if you are not sick you keep away from those papers one doctor is the one signing on it with a signal signature only. One person signing for the three doctors every time no there is something wrong” the Minister lamented.
He cautioned those people who wishfully get those medical papers on false claims to go to the ministry and claim for 20,000 US dollars so that they can go to the market and buy themselves a Premio car.
“Come with your papers when you are sick and you want to go to Khartoum even if you get 10,000 US dollars that one can treat you. But people will come with medical claims of 80,000 USD, 90,000 USD all these papers are the ones giving us headache at the Ministry of Finance” Agak reiterated.
Sadly, the finance minister said that there are people who are used to those corrupt dealings which has become their duty, they will always be furious if they have missed coming to the ministry.
They won’t feel well unless if they don’t come there and stand under the veranda saying “a cheque was brought there before, the cheque of so and so has been released why are you still at home please you come! These are the people who always cause us chaos,” Agak asserted.
The Minister said they have to eradicate the issue of fake financial claims that they always encounter at the ministry adding if someone doesn’t have genuine claims they shouldn’t go to the ministry even if one is his brother or father.