Senior official, businesswoman arrested for abetting rape in Torit

A senior local government official and a businesswoman are being held by police in Torit town of Eastern Equatoria State for aiding the defilement of a 17-year-old girl.

Major Justin Kleopus Takuru, the Torit area police spokesman, told Radio Tamazuj that the woman was arrested on Monday after the underage girl reported that her boss, the businesswoman, linked her to the state official on 13th October 2020.

“There was a 17-year-old girl who came with her father and reported that a man raped her. She has been working with a certain woman at Omoliha market who connected her with the man who took her and slept with her and the minor reported it to relatives,” Major Takuru said. “We carried out investigations as police and sent her to the hospital with the help of the gender unit and the result was positive that she was raped. Good enough there is no sickness and she was given antibiotics.”

Major Takuru said investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be arraigned in court. He said the immunity of the unnamed man, a public official, had to be waived before he was arrested.

“We opened an official case in section 247 of the penal code and we arrested this woman who works in the market. She denied but we have evidence.” Takuru said. “There was a problem in arresting this official because he has immunity but we asked the public prosecutor to write to the local government because he is their official at Torit Municipality to lift his immunity. So it was lifted and later he was arrested and now with me in custody as investigations go on. The court will rule on this case.”

The police spokesperson called on public officials to stop using their positions to sexually abuse females in the community and asked the public to report such cases so that the law can take its course.

“We condemn this incident, it is not right and public officials should respect their positions because you are serving the people, it is very wrong. I want to tell our citizens if any public official does the same to you don’t fear to report because of that position because no one is above the law,” he said.

The Executive Director of the Women Agency for Progress Organization (WAPO), Flora Sebit Jada, condemned the incident and called for speedy investigations. She said her organization will follow the case to ensure justice is served.

“What happened is not good, as a woman, it is not good to facilitate such behavior. For us we condemn it. Let the legal procedures start and that woman should be accountable including that person who did that offense for us. We don't give gaps and we don’t accept any bad behavior,” she condemned.