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Ruling in Case of South Sudan Bishop Shooting to be Delivered in Mid-April: Judge

Justice Alexander Sebur Subek reading out a decision of the High Court on 2 March 2022 session. Credit: Otto Abut/CRN

The ruling in the case of last year’s shooting of the Bishop of Rumbek Diocese in South Sudan that was first mentioned on January 26 has been postponed to mid-April, the judge has said.

On March 14, Justice Sebur Subek had reportedly said he would give the ruling on March 25, the day also scheduled for the Episcopal Ordination of the Bishop of Rumbek, Christian Carlassare.

In a Friday, March 25 Catholic Radio Network (CRN) report about the case, Justice Subek is quoted as saying, “The court will pass the verdict for the four remaining suspects of the Rumbek bishop-elect shooting on 15th April 2022.”

The defense lawyer to the four remaining suspects after two were freed, Malith Jok Thiang, has been quoted as saying that “the Friday session was the final submission of the case file and their findings to the case." 

“Today is the final submission, so both the prosecution team and the defense submitted their findings. We are only waiting for the judgment," Mr. Thiang said during the March 25 hearing

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Four suspects, including a Catholic Priest, remain in detention for the 26 April 2021 attack on Mons. Carlassare.

In the February 18 hearing, a witnesses put Fr. John Mathiang at the center of the 26 April 2021 shooting incident, a claim that Abraham Matur Akot, one of the suspects, refuted at a later hearing.

During the March 14 hearing, Mr. Matur refuted the claims that Fr. Mathiang had held meetings with the accused persons to plan the shooting of the Bishop-elect.

When Mons. Carlassare was appointed Bishop for Rumbek Diocese on 8 March 2021, Fr. Mathiang was serving as Coordinator of Rumbek Diocese, a position he had held since 27 December 2013 when Fernando Cardinal Filoni, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, appointed him. 

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.