South Sudanese authorities have arrested a former senior official of the Islamic Dawa Organisation in Juba over allegations of embezzlement, breach of trust and misuse of funds, according to sources familiar with the case.
Hassan Abu Kadouk, the former head of the organisation’s mission in South Sudan, was detained at the Central Police Station in Juba’s Malakia district after a criminal complaint was filed against him, the sources said.
He was later released on a personal guarantee provided by South Sudanese political figure Abdullah Deng Nhial, on condition that he return to police as investigators continue examining the allegations.
According to the sources, Abu Kadouk is associated with a faction within the Islamic Dawa Organisation linked to Ali Karti, the secretary-general of Sudan’s Islamic Movement and a prominent figure in Sudan’s Islamist political network.
The case has also raised questions over a diplomatic identification card that Abu Kadouk reportedly presented during the proceedings.
The card was issued by the protocol department of South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry on August 3, despite the criminal complaint against him having already been opened, according to the sources.
They alleged that the card was obtained with assistance from Sudan’s Foreign Ministry through its embassy in Juba after Sudanese officials became aware of the legal proceedings against Abu Kadouk.
The sources claimed the move was intended to provide him with diplomatic cover and facilitate his departure from South Sudan for Sudan. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Officials within the Islamic Dawa Organisation reportedly objected to the alleged intervention, describing it as interference by Sudanese authorities in an internal matter concerning the organisation’s operations in South Sudan.
Questions have also been raised over the legal basis for issuing Abu Kadouk a diplomatic card.
According to the sources, the Islamic Dawa Organisation is registered with South Sudan’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management as a local organisation and does not hold diplomatic status.
Abu Kadouk had also reportedly entered South Sudan using an ordinary Sudanese passport.
The circumstances surrounding the diplomatic card have therefore prompted further scrutiny of the relationship between the organisation and Sudanese state institutions, as well as the extent of official involvement in its activities.
Police instructed Abu Kadouk to return to the station on Monday, August 17, to continue questioning in connection with the case, the sources said.
No final ruling has been issued, and the allegations against him remain under investigation.
