Suspended Jonglei State finance minister detained enroute Juba
Yuek says the suspension is politically motivated, specifically as a retaliation for his recent actions against his Director General (DG); the claim, contrary to the content on governor Biel’s dismissal letter
By The City Review Editorial
Abraham Riek Yuek, the suspended Minister of Finance, Planning, and Investment for Jonglei State, in an exclusive interview with The City Review on Wednesday, revealed that he was stopped at Malinh-thor checkpoint on his way to Juba yesterday evening (Dec 18), and detained at gunpoint by a group of police officers and personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who dragged him out of his car and took him to a small zinc hut. While being held, Yuek said he was not informed about the reason for his detention, except that they had received an order from a “higher authority.”
“They said they had an order from the higher authority, but they wouldn’t say who it was,” Yuek explained to this publication in a phone interview. “Some said it was the police commissioner, but I believe it could have been the governor, because a police commissioner would not act alone in such a matter.”
For over forty minutes, Yuek sat in the hut waiting for clarification, unsure if the said individual would arrive to explain the reason behind his detention. “I am just in a dilemma here,” he added, describing his confusion and frustration at the situation.
Yuek had been suspended by governor Mahjoub Biel a day earlier, in a letter dated December 17, 2024, where the governor cited a legal opinion and a vote of no confidence from the State Transitional Legislative Assembly, to have called for Yuek’s removal in August 2022 over his handling of the state’s finances. For his part, Yuek says the suspension is politically motivated, specifically as a retaliation for his recent actions against his Director General (DG), Tarir Gatkek.
“I suspended the DG for misconduct on Dec 16,” Yuek stated. “But the next day, the governor reversed the suspension, and then in the afternoon, they suspended me. This is not about my performance, it’s about retaliation.”
Yuek’s claimed his suspension by the governor came after a tense relationship between him and the DG, who is a distant relative of the governor. Yuek confirmed that the DG had been reporting directly to the governor without his knowledge, undermining his authority as the state’s finance minister.
“The governor and the DG are cousins. Since the governor came to office, the DG has been his right-hand man, reporting directly to him daily,” Yuek explained. This relationship, he claims, influenced the governor’s decision to reverse his suspension of the DG and later to suspend him.
While Yuek was detained at the checkpoint, he questioned the legality of his suspension and the actions of the governor. “The governor does not have the right to suspend me,” he said. “The president has made it clear that no governor can suspend ministers. This should be fixed if we want to run this country lawfully.”
Yuek also raised concerns about his treatment by the security forces. He pointed out that there was no warrant for his detention, and that his rights had been violated by the security personnel’s actions. “Even if I am suspended, the governor has no right to stop me from traveling,” Yuek added.
In a letter dated December 17, 2024, Governor Biel referenced the state assembly’s resolution, a legal opinion, and reminders from legislative leaders to justify the minister’s suspension.
“I hereby confirm that the minister has lost the legitimacy to serve in this position,” Governor Biel wrote in his suspension letter. “Effective immediately, he is suspended.”
On August 2022, lawmakers in Jonglei State’s Legislative Assembly passed a vote of no confidence against state the finance minister Yuek, accusing him of misappropriating funds.
