Lakes State Parliamentarian Jailed Over Child Abduction

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Rumbek Central County court has convicted Mr. Zechariah Puoric Matuong over charges of child abduction. Puoric was sentenced to two years imprisonment and was also ordered by the court to pay 7 cows over charges of adultery.

Puoric was convicted based on article 32, 28 and article 26 of the Dinka customary law.  Puoric won the election 2010 Sudan general elections and has been representing Malek Constituency of Rumbek Central County in Lakes State parliament. 

Puoric was convicted of being illegally married with somebody’s wife during the civil war period and got a child in that union. In Dinka costmary law, bearing children in unofficial marriages is not acceptable.  

Articles 32, 28, 26 in the Dinka customary laws which strongly shun adultery and directs return of children born in illegal marriages with a woman or somebody’s wife were imposed on the legislature.  

In the Court decision, Puoric was convicted with -adultery and abduction which resulted into a fine of 1000 south Sudanese pounds equivalent to two years imprisonment.

This is in accordance with the Dinka customary laws which states in articles 32, 28 and 26 that, whenever you marry a Dinka woman who did not separate from the husband officially, the man will be convicted as adulterant.”

Article 28 states that -if you marry someone’s wife illegally you will be considered as adulterant and all the children shall be taken from you whether even though they are ten in number they will be given to the legal man who had married the woman firstly.

Meanwhile Article 26 of the Dinka Customary law dwells on Puric to leave all the three children to the late Dhor Riak Dhor who was the former husband of the embattled woman Adut Ngong Deng.

This is the first time a Lakes State member of parliament stands before a law court and get convicted over a civil case since its establishment in 2005.