Anti-corruption commission locked out over rent arrears

A landlord has locked out the South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission from their offices for defaulting on rent payments.

According to Jeremiah Ater, the Commission’s Executive Director, the landlord’s decision to lock them out came one month after the expiry notice on outstanding rent arrears amounting to SSP 7.2 million.

Ater told The City Review that the commission had signed a one-year contract with the landlord and that the rent was intended to be SSP 600,000 per month.

The arrears have has since accumulated to a year. “We have a contract from June to June for one year.”

The contract expired yesterday (June 13) meaning that the commission will either settle the arrears for a new lease or find an alternative working space.

“First of all, the office will not function; meaning the day-to-date activity will not be done. |There are a lot of issues for those who are reporting cases of corruption that we will not receive.”

He said that the delay was occasioned by the ministry of finance to release funds to the commission.

Ater further added that they will settle the arrears as soon as they received the funds.

“We have been renting that office since 2008. Do you know where the financial resources for government institutions come from? They come from the Ministry of Finance.

“We don’t have any income. So when the funds are not made available, there is nothing we can do,” he said.

He said they locked the office and asked them (tenants) to either pay up or have the building rented to other people.

“We have been making an effort but we could not get the funds,” said Ater.