By Deng Ghai Deng
Suspended Minister of Finance for Jonglei State, Abraham Riek Yuek, has accused state authorities of unlawfully detaining him after his suspension on Wednesday.
Yuek, who was removed from his position as State Minister of Finance, Planning, and Investment by Jonglei State’s Governor Majoub Biel Turuk on December 17, claims he was unfairly targeted by security forces during a private trip to Juba from Bor.
The suspension followed a no-confidence vote passed by the State Transitional Legislative Assembly in August 2022, citing Yuek’s failure to resolve critical issues, including the delayed passage of the state budget and non-payment of civil servants’ salaries.
While traveling on December 18, Yuek was stopped at the Malith-Thoor checkpoint by a platoon of Joint Security Forces, which included Military Intelligence (MI), National Security Service (NSS), and local police.
Yuek alleges that the officers disarmed his bodyguard, briefly detained him, and forcibly escorted him back to his residence in Bor, where he is currently under house arrest.
“I was shocked when they blocked the road with wood logs and stopped my car,” Yuek recounted. “They dragged me out of the car, held my hands, and even slapped me on the back. Despite my position as a constitutional post holder, they ignored my protests and treated me with disrespect.”
Yuek condemned the actions of the security forces, emphasizing that, as a private citizen following his suspension from official duties, he should be free to move about the country without interference.
“I see no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to travel to Juba freely in my own vehicle,” he said, adding that if there were any investigations, they should have been initiated when the new governor took office, not after his suspension.
Maj. Gen. John Baak, the police commissioner of Jonglei, confirmed that the security forces’ actions were carried out on the direct orders of Governor Majoub Biel Turuk.
Baak explained that the investigation into government-owned assets, including the vehicle Yuek was using, necessitated the stoppage. He emphasized that the police were only following the governor’s directive and handed Yuek over to the legal authorities for further proceedings.
Yuek’s suspension comes after years of scrutiny over his management of state finances. In 2022, he faced a failed impeachment motion, which led to a tense standoff within the state parliament. Despite wide support for his removal, former Governor Denay Jock Chagor refrained from taking immediate action, leading to a contentious political atmosphere.
Just days before Yuek’s suspension, Speaker Amer Ateny Alier reminded the new governor of the parliamentary resolution to suspend Yuek for alleged financial mismanagement, supported by the head of the legal administration in Jonglei.
However, Yuek rejected the suspension, asserting that it was politically motivated and retaliation for his recent decision to suspend the Director General of his ministry, who is a relative of Governor Turuk.