The government of South Sudan has dismissed as fraudulent two documents circulating on social media that allegedly link a private company to the appointment of a senior government figure and a $15 million payment intended to influence government officials and public institutions.
Information Minister and government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said Monday that the documents, allegedly issued by Capital Pay International Limited and its sister company, Crawford Capital International Limited, were fabricated and should not be treated as authentic government or corporate records.
“The first document falsely claimed to appoint Honorable Nhial Deng Nhial as a group executive for regional and global expansion at the Capital Pay Limited,” Ateny told reporters in Juba.
“The second document falsely claims to authorize the payment of US dollars 15 million for activities intended to influence government officials and public institutions,” he added.
The minister said both documents were “fake, fraudulent and malicious publications,” urging the public and media not to cite, circulate or rely on them.
Ateny said Crawford Capital International Limited, one of the companies named in the documents, was legitimately contracted by the South Sudan government following the approval of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 34-2024, adopted on September 14, 2024.
He said the company’s mandate was to support the government’s digital transformation programme, including the development of electronic government services and a digital revenue management system.
The minister also linked the latest allegations to previous cases in which individuals allegedly forged the signature of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to facilitate fraudulent withdrawals of public funds.
According to Ateny, those individuals were apprehended, but the president later exercised clemency.
“That exceptional act of clemency must never be construed as weakness, tolerance of criminality or a licence to repeat such offences,” Ateny said.
He warned that authorities would pursue those behind the latest documents, regardless of their connections.
“All persons involved in the creation, financing, coordination, publication, circulation or distribution of the current fraudulent materials will be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
“Anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law and no individual, network or group will be shielded from accountability.”
The minister said relevant authorities had been instructed to establish the origin of the documents and investigate those responsible for producing and circulating them.
He urged citizens, media organizations, government institutions, development partners and businesses to verify information through official government channels before acting on documents circulating online.