Legal Storm Brews in Baliet
A tense standoff between Baliet Senior Secondary School and County Commissioner Joseph Deng Angou is heading to the courtroom, testing the boundaries of local governance and educational welfare in Upper Nile State.
The school accuses the commissioner of withholding salaries and misdirecting humanitarian funds, while he labels the charges “baseless” and prepares countersuits.
Salary Arrears at the Center
Teachers say they have not seen wages worth SSP 40 million despite a December 31 deadline set in a formal demand letter.
Union representatives argue that unpaid labor since mid-2025 violates South Sudan’s Employment Act and undermines class attendance.
Accusations of Misused Aid Funds
School managers allege the commissioner obtained 200 Nile Hope electronic cards, each supposedly paying a teacher SSP 20,000 monthly, yet no transfer reached staff.
They further point to a Red Cross cash grant meant for Adong victims; twenty names, they say, were listed without consent, allowing SSP 15.6 million to vanish.
Commissioner Rejects Fraud Claims
Commissioner Angou dismisses the narrative as a smear campaign designed to erode public trust.
His office says it will pursue defamation suits against individuals “tampering with facts” and insists all county finances follow transparent procedures.
Community and Classroom Stakes
Parents fear prolonged litigation could disrupt national examination preparation, especially for final-year students already recovering from last year’s floods.
Baliet County Education Director Samuel Chol warns that teacher retention hinges on swift salary resolution, noting that replacements from Juba and Nimule remain unpaid.
Courtroom Countdown
The school’s spokesperson Zakeo Sida plans media briefings from Juba as lawyers file for damages exceeding the initial arrears.
Judicial calendars indicate that the High Court in Malakal could hear preliminary motions within weeks, turning a local payroll dispute into a test of accountability culture.