By Matik Kueth
The Special Court, trying First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-accused, has adjourned its 17th session to Wednesday, November 5th, following a tense session in which defense lawyers relentlessly cross-examined the lead investigator in the high-profile Nasir army base attack case.
Defense counsel Anis Tombe Augustino pressed Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani on critical aspects of the investigation, including the seizure of personal electronic devices, the legality of arrest procedures, and allegations of ritual payments allegedly linked to the March 2025 attack that killed more than 200 soldiers.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng cautioned the defense, warning that some lines of questioning could risk implicating witnesses and compromising the integrity of the trial.
Panel member Stephen Simon Isaac echoed the warning, urging defense lawyers to exercise caution and avoid statements that could endanger witnesses or their own clients.
Probing evidence and alleged ritual payments
The defense focused on the seizure of 16 items from the accused, including devices belonging to Dr. Machar that were sent to a South African forensic firm.
Wani noted that the devices were considered Machar’s personal property, not state assets.
The defense lawyers also pressed the investigator on claims that suspended Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chuol transferred $1,500 to fund a traditional ritual ahead of the Nasir attack.
Wani testified that communications about the funds occurred over the phone and were documented in a forensic report submitted to the court.
High-stakes proceedings
Machar and his co-accused party members, Puot Kang Chuol, Mam Pal Dhuor, Gatwech Lam Puoch, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Camilo Gatmai Kel, Mading Yak Riek, and Dominic Gatgok Riek, face charges of treason, crimes against humanity, murder, terrorism, and destruction of property.
Prosecutors alleged that SPLA-IO forces, alongside the White Army militia, carried out the Nasir attack.
The heated session revealed cracks in both strategy and restraint, as defense lawyers pushed deeper into the prosecution’s case under the wary gaze of the judges.