A Juba court on Thursday heard testimony from a police investigator in a case in which the South Sudan National Police Service has charged one of its own officers with assaulting a civilian in the capital.
Richard Ruai Kuol, a serving captain in the South Sudan National Police Service, is on trial over allegations stemming from a video-recorded incident in which he is seen beating a young man in Hai Malakal, triggering public outcry and calls for accountability.
The case is being heard by the Joint Emergency Court for Organised Forces, a special tribunal chaired by Raymond Legge and comprising judges drawn from the police, national security and other organised forces.
Investigating officer Charles Juma Abdalla told the court he presented findings from an internal police inquiry and read a statement attributed to the accused officer.
According to the statement, Kuol said the incident occurred on May 5 along Cinema Street near the James Hotel following an altercation with a group of young men.
He alleged that one of the youths insulted him, damaged the side mirror and window of his vehicle and attempted to flee. Kuol said he pursued the suspect and struck him twice on the leg with a stick before reporting the matter to nearby security personnel.
The prosecution relied on the investigator’s testimony, witness statements and other material gathered during the inquiry to support its case.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Dut Paulino, the investigator was questioned on the circumstances of the investigation, identification of those involved and the handling of video footage circulating widely on social media.
Court panel members also sought clarification on the sequence of events, evidence collection and whether all relevant witnesses had been interviewed.
Part of the hearing focused on video recordings allegedly linked to the incident, with questions raised over how the footage was obtained and submitted to the court.
Thursday’s session marked the first substantive hearing in the case after an earlier adjournment when both the accused officer and the investigator failed to appear.
The trial is scheduled to resume on June 16, when the court will hear additional witnesses and review further evidence from both prosecution and defence before reaching a verdict.
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