The South Sudan government is nearly grinding into a halt after it emerged that 70% of the tax collected doesn’t go into government coffers but is siphoned away by none other than the man incharge of of the country’s Tax agency, Dr Patrick K Mugoya. The Tanzanian who got the job last year, immediately formed a cartel that siphons money with martial precision, a fate that has even amazed some of the most corrupt South Sudan leaders.
Patrick K. Mugoya, was hired in 2020 as South Sudan’s National Revenue Authority Commissioner General to help the government to realise effective tax collection and custom administration under a contract funded by the Africa Development Bank.
On assuming the office, Patrick landed in the hand of cartels who have always been stealing taxes.
The South Sudan national intelligence agency estimates the money lost in the past 18 months Mugoya has been at helm is at at least USD 240 million.
According to intelligence briefs that were shared with Africa Development Bank six months ago and yet no action has been taken against their employee draining South Sudan government coffers, notably one officer, Mugoya’s deputy Lino Ajang Ajang was the one who recruited the New commissioner General into the cartel, but it is Mugoya who professionalised it to international standards that has even shocked the most corrupt people in South Sudan government. Mugoya began to collect taxes directly from tax payers and transport it by air, using private plane tail number UJF428 to Uganda with the help of Lino Ajang Ajang. At one time Ajang had to carry 3 million dollars in a bag up to Tanzania where is was received by Mugoya’s three children.
Intelligence from South Sudan intelligence agency reveal other members of this cartel include:
Deputy Commissioner General of NRA Hon. Africano Mande who joint the cartel after Realizing that he couldn’t stop them. He opened various accounts in the name of NRA in commercial banks whose collection does not go to government coffers. He turned NRA to spending agency for him to siphon money out through projects and purchase of non-essential things.
The other person in the cartel is Gen. Akol Ayii, the Director General of South Sudan Custom. He is well connected with the first family which protects him from being removed from the office. Gen. Akol takes away 70% of custom duty tax at various border point and juba airport which he shares with other powerful individuals inside the system.
Hussain Abdelbagi Ayii, the Vice-president in charge of services cluster. This VP is one of Lino Ajang Ajang pillars. He is said to be building a powerful Islamic movement in South Sudan in which Ajang Ajang is helping him mobilise funds from government taxes.
The cartel include many people from Domestic Tax Division where Mr Ajang Ajang is a patron.
Unknown to the Africa Development Bank, the person they are paying salary has forgotten expertise role he was hired for/ sourced to come and play, he indulged himself in deadly financial fraud, taking advantage of lack of oversight of his performance.
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