Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Executing individuals found guilty of corruption by firing squad would be a very extreme punishment in a fragile environment like South Sudan, a political analyst told Eye Radio, after a vice president suggested the measure.
Dr. Abraham Kuol Nyuon, Assistant Professor of Politics, Peace and Security of University of Juba, was reacting to Vice President Taban Deng Gai’s April 28 suggestion that individuals found guilty of corruption should be put to death by firing squad, in a bid to combat the malpractice.
Addressing the National Trade Forum 2025, Taban, the Chairperson of Infrastructure Cluster, made the controversial proposal, citing massive electricity theft in Juba as well as loss of public revenue caused by systemic corruption.
But according to Dr. Nyuon, this draconian punishment will put lives of up to 75 % of current government officials in danger.
“That proposal of executing those people guilty of corruption would be a very extreme punishment, especially in a very fragile environment like South Sudan, where many people would have been assumed to have been involved in corrupt practices in one way or another,” he said.
“This proposal is showing that chances are higher that we might end up executing 75 % of our current government officials. And that will be very grave yard to the country.”
The political analyst suggested that the right thing to do is apply the laws against corruption by subjecting suspects to fair trial and imprisonment, unless otherwise the death penalty requires.
He added that people found guilty of corruption should have their assets frozen and demanded to account in a transparent manner.
“What we could do is that if such a people could be put in prison, they could be also asked to repay whatever that they have taken and their asset should be freeze, their asset should be confiscated by government.”
“I think that could be the best because then we will execute them and the money that they have stolen will be taken to the foreign country. So, we will not benefit from the money and we will not also benefit from the people that have lost their lives.”
South Sudan is the most corrupt among 180 countries in the world having scored the lowest index, according to the 2024 global corruption index by Transparency International.
South Sudan is the most corrupt country in the world having scored the lowest index to overtake Somalia, according to a global corruption index released on Tuesday.
The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) indicates that public sector corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but added that change for the better is happening in many countries.
CPI ranked 180 countries and territories worldwide from leading powers to the third world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
South Sudan has ranked 180th – scoring the lowest points (8) in Sub-Saharan Africa and the world, followed by Somalia (9), Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea (13).
The continent’s highest scorers include Seychelles with 72, Cape Verde 62, and Botswana and Rwanda both scoring 57 points.
In 2023, Transparency International ranked South Sudan as the second most corrupt country in the world along with Syria and Venezuela as Somalia toping the list.
Source: Eye Radio
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