In a shocking scandal that reads like a Hollywood thriller, South Sudan’s Minister of Finance, Marial Dongrin, and the Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA), Simon Akuei Deng, have been exposed as the masterminds behind a brazen heist of over USD 200,000,000 from government coffers.
This isn’t just corruption—it’s a full-blown looting spree, and the people of South Sudan are paying the price.
The Scheme: A Billion-Dollar Shell Game
At the heart of this scandal is a jaw-dropping 30 billion South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) that was supposed to fund the nation’s development. Instead, it’s been funneled into personal bank accounts under the guise of “retention accounts.” On February 10th, 2025, the SSRA issued a bombshell directive to the Nile Commercial Bank, ordering the transfer of these funds to a Bank account.
The directive, signed by Simon Akuei Deng and Paul Ajok Garang, outlined a meticulous plan to move the money in two installments every month: 2 billion SSP in the first half of the month and 1 billion SSP in the second half. This financial sleight of hand was set to run for ten months, effectively laundering the entire 30 billion SSP by November 2025.
But here’s the kicker: this is illegal. According to South Sudan’s Financial Act, the SSRA has no right to retain or redirect collected taxes. The money should have been sent directly to the national treasury, where it could be allocated transparently to government agencies. Instead, it’s been siphoned off into private accounts, leaving the nation’s coffers empty and its citizens in despair.
The Smoking Gun: Bank Transactions and Dirty Deals
The first transfer of 2 billion SSP was executed on February 17th, 2025, just days after the directive was issued. The transaction, recorded under journal sequence number 1171520, was approved by Lina Emmanuel Mama Jamus, a supervisor at the Nile Commercial Bank’s Juba branch. The narrative? A bland “internal transfer debit.” The reality? A blatant theft of public funds.
The accounts involved in this high-stakes heist are as follows:
Debit Account: Nile Commercial Bank, South Sudan Revenue Authority Block Account (Account No. 0010172191).
Credit Account: a certain Bank Ltd, South Sudan Revenue Authority – Retention Account (Account No. 5591058493).
But this isn’t just about numbers on a page. This is about a nation being robbed blind by its own leaders.
The Lavish Lives of the Corrupt Elite
While ordinary South Sudanese struggle to put food on the table, Simon Akuei Deng and Marial Dongrin are living like kings. Deng, the SSRA Commissioner General, has reportedly married two new wives: 16-year-old Obote Mit Kamin and 14-year-old There Mit Ndi. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Marial Dongrin has been splurging on luxury properties in Nairobi’s upscale Lavington neighborhood. Last month alone, he purchased four houses on Kabarsiran Avenue, each costing a staggering Ksh 60,000,000.
Deng resides in Convent Drive in a Ksh50,000,000 palatial home, and he is the architect of ARC Company scandal, on 180km distance Bor-Juba Road where USD 5 billion has been spent but was meant to cost USD 200M. Dongrin lives in a posh Nairobi estate, and both enjoying lifestyles that are a slap in the face to the millions of South Sudanese living in poverty. Dongrin charters jets every weekend to his home village costing USD 35,000 per weekend.
A Nation Betrayed
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has been plagued by corruption since its independence in 2011. But this latest scandal is a new low. The Ministry of Finance and the SSRA, institutions meant to safeguard the nation’s resources, have become dens of thieves. Reports from international organizations like Transparency International and the United Nations have repeatedly highlighted mismanagement and embezzlement, but this heist takes the cake.
The misallocation of resources has had devastating effects. Hospitals lack medicine, schools are crumbling, and infrastructure projects are abandoned. Meanwhile, the corrupt elite are building empires with stolen money.
The Big Question: Who’s Next?
As the dust settles on this scandal, one question looms large: who else is involved? This isn’t the work of two rogue officials—it’s a systemic failure. The banks, the supervisors, and the entire chain of command must be held accountable. But will they? In a nation where corruption is endemic, justice often feels like a distant dream.
For now, the money is gone, and the people of South Sudan are left to pick up the pieces. But one thing is clear: this isn’t just a story of corruption. It’s a story of betrayal, greed, and the crushing weight of a broken system.
Stay tuned. This scandal is far from over.
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