Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The National Police Service has dismissed social media reports claiming that suspects in the murder of petroleum engineer Konty Okot have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
In a statement to Eye Radio, Police Spokesperson Major General Daniel Justin described the claims as false and baseless, confirming that no court hearings have yet taken place for the case.
Major General Justin explained that the misinformation stemmed from a press conference held as he took over the office from his predecessor, Brigadier General Kwajock Dominic.
During the briefing, journalists asked for updates on two separate cases: the death of General Stephen Warkozi and the killing of engineer Konty Okot.
While a mobile court at Juba Central Prison has indeed sentenced five people to life imprisonment for the murder of General Warkozi, there has been no such ruling for the Okot case.
“In my capacity as the Head of Media for the National Police Service, I would like to clarify to the public that the information circulating on social media… is false and has no basis in fact,” said Gen. Justin. “We confirm that no court hearings have been conducted so far regarding this case.”
He further explained the mix-up between the two cases mentioned during his first briefing: “We informed the journalists that, about the case of General Stephen Warkozi, the mobile court convened at Juba Central Prison had already delivered its verdict, sentencing five accused persons to life imprisonment.”
The spokesperson noted that because he had just assumed office, he did not yet have full details on the engineer’s case. Meanwhile, the outgoing spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Kwajock Dominic, confirmed that investigations into Okot’s death are still ongoing.
“At no point was there any mention of a court ruling having been issued in the case of the petroleum company engineer,” Gen. Justin emphasized. “The information being circulated on social media is inaccurate, misleading, and not based on any official source.”
Earlier today, several social media pages claimed that five members of the organized forces were sentenced to 24 years in prison for the January killing of Konty Okot. The false reports even suggested a sixth person received a five-year sentence and that all were dismissed from service.
Engineer Konty Okot, a senior official at the Ministry of Petroleum, was tragically shot dead in January when his vehicle was fired upon at a security checkpoint in Juba. Police urge the public to ignore online rumors and wait for official updates as investigations continue.
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