By Mamer Abraham
National Prison service has formed a committee to review land contracts between the institution’s investment department and investors.
Director General of the National Prisons Service, Henry Kuany Aguar disclosed on Monday that the contracts needed proper review, which compelled him to form the committee to conduct an investigation.
“I have formed a committee chaired by the legal advisor, Dr. Mawa Modi Mawa, the head of legal administration in the Ministry of Interior,” he said.
The Director General assured that NPSSS would forward the outcome of the investigation to the attention of the ministry on Interior once it was completed.
“The committee has started its work and is still working. And when we have received the report, we will forward the same to your esteemed office for comments,” he concluded.
Some of the investments of the National Prisons Service of South Sudan (NPSSS) now running on the prisons’ previous vegetable gardens include Star Hotel Juba, Grand Hotel Juba, Peace Africa Hotel and Marina Investment Company Ltd.
Others include, Gems Enterprise Company Ltd., Southern Sudan for Development Company Ltd and Jamus Company Ltd.
However, Kuany did not specify the nature of the problem that was being investigated.
According to him, the gardens were transformed into investments under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Bol Akot Bol, the Director of Production and Investment.
The DG asserted that the burning issues that needed urgent intervention by the ministry were the prisoners’ ration, claims of contractors, transportation of officers and prisoners to various places (work, hospitals, and production sites), accommodation of prisoners and prison staff, as well as uniforms for the staff.
“As our budget will not cover them, above all, the separation of the prisoners’ budget from the prison staff budget is paramount. Honorable Minister, these are a few important issues that I am recommending to you, but more are in those documents presented to you recently,” he highlighted.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Interior, David Marial Gumke, assured the NPSSS that they were appointed to work with them for the betterment of the citizens.
Marial urged the prisons to be stout, adding that their grievances could be addressed and those that the ministry could not manage would be presented to the president.
In June, the Director of Juba Central Prisons raised a complaint that there was overcrowding in the prison, calling for a need to have judicial reforms in place for trials to be carried out faster.
There were 2,767 inmates, out of which 194 were condemned, about 707 were convicted, and 42 were considered lunatic.
There were also 1,824 inmates remanded with eight children in prisons with their mothers.