SOUTH SUDAN: National Security Officer Charged Over Killing of Catholic Nun
Late Sister Veronica who was killed in Yei in 2016
Ginaba Lino
The High Court in Kator has leveled charges against 29-year-old Justin Faustino Mani, a national security officer for participating in the shooting of a Catholic nun in 2016.
The late Holy Spirit Missionary Sister Veronika Theresia Rackova a medical personnel was killed in 2016 in Yei South Sudan.
One accused among the six suspects appeared in Court on Thursday, August 17, at Kator and was being cross-examined by Judge Justice Nicholas Makuach Bol
The accused refuted all allegations put against him as being the mastermind in command that led to the killing of a Catholic Sister. He denied being in charge of commanding the soldiers during the patrol on that day.
Advocate James Paulino Lado, who stands for the right of the victim explained that the court framed charges against Justine Foustino Mani under section 210 subsection 4 of the penal code Act 2008 for participating in the killing of Sr. Vironika Rascova.
“Today we have reached the very important stage whereby the court framed charges against the fourth accused, by name Faustino Justine Mani. That section means, the accused committed the crime while he was fulfilling his duty.”
Lado says he hopes justice will prevail in favour of his client and applauded the National Security for being a good example by cooperating in the court procedure.
“I want to appreciate the administration of the national security for providing their accused personnel; we encouraged the national security to continue providing their people who committed crimes before justice.”
The National Security Legal Adviser, Akot Maduok said, they expected the case to be dismissed due to inadequate evidence provided on this case.
The Legal advisor says his team requested the court to give them another chance to provide a witness to help scrutinize the judgment.
Akot said he is optimistic that his client is innocent and that the evidence provided before the court is not enough to be held accountable for the crime committed.
“There was a senior personnel who was in charge of the whole squad. In the military, the junior cannot give the order when the senior is there,” he explained.
The presiding judge at the Kator Court in Juba, Justice Nicholas Makuach Bol announced the next hearing will be on the 4th of September 2023.
Last week, the High Court in Juba, verified the medical receipts and travel documents presented by the complainant for the slain sister Veronika as authentic and qualified for claims.
The documents were indicating over 17 thousand U.S dollars used to charter planes from Yei to Juba, Juba to Nairobi struggle to serve the life of the Catholic nun and 1.8 million Kenyan Shillings (KSh) including the cost of transporting her body from Nairobi to Juba, and later to Yei for burial.
