The Kiir family went into business with a range of other high-risk individuals, including members of the National Secret Service, the military, and the political elite in other countries.[177]
Political elite
Kiir relatives formed companies with high-profile businesspeople and politicians from around the region.[170] These political elites often used corporate vehicles to obscure their identities as beneficial owners in joint ventures, a red flag for suspicious activity.[177]
- Adut Kiir, the daughter of President Kiir, married Nardos Ghebeyehu in 2011.[201] [209] The two used their company, Conex Energy Co.,[2] to form a joint venture called Caltec Corporation with a company controlled by an influential senator and son of the former president of Kenya.[19] [187] [188] Caltec’s website described the firm as a “Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to specifically engage in the provision of services in the oil sector.” Waste management, drilling, logistics, and air transportation are among the services it said it provided.[210] [170] Adut Kiir transferred her shares to her daughter, Nazret Amara Awut Gebeyehu in 2013.[14] In a 2019 response to The Sentry’s report “The Taking of South Sudan,” the Office of the President said that Nazret Amara was a 45% shareholder in Conex Energy and that the company was active.[214]
National Security Service
The National Security Service (NSS) operates under the Kiir’s direct supervision.[176] The NSS has been repurposed as the president’s own security force against internal threats to his rule.[189] A corporate network of companies owned by members of the NSS operates as part of the NSS’s approach for engaging in state capture and repression.[165] Several members of the Kiir family have engaged in business dealings with members of the NSS. Kiir also named his brother-in-law, Gregory Vasili, the deputy director-general of the General Intelligence Bureau of the NSS in 2021.[180]
- Kiir’s granddaughter was a shareholder in Conex Energy alongside an NSS brigadier general.[2] Vasili owned shares in Falcon Logistics Solutions Co alongside the same NSS official.[50]
- Car Parking Management stakeholders included Vasili and then-senior National Security Service official Abud Stephen Thiongkol,[78] both of whom have been designated for sanctions by the US.[190] [168]
Military
A study of the business activities of top military and opposition militia leadership found that leaders had engaged in business activities indicative of money laundering, all while being responsible for forces enacting mass atrocities.[168] In the course of these business activities, several individuals formed corporate ties with members of Kiir’s family, often using their own family members as shareholders on companies.
- Thiik Kiir, the son of President Kiir, was listed as shareholder of Sekoko Power SS Ltd alongside family members of Paul Malong, leader of the South Sudan United Front/Army.[26] [191] In a 2019 response to The Sentry’s report “The Taking of South Sudan,” the Office of the President said that Thiik Salva Kiir Mayardit and Paul Malong’s family member were shareholders in Sekoko Power and that the company was not active.[214] In a 2020 response to The Sentry, a shareholder of Sekoko Power SS Ltd stated that the company never traded and was dormant.[217]
- Gregory Vasili, Kiir’s brother-in-law, owned shares in Car Parking Management with Malong’s deputy, Bol Akot.[78] [190] Vasili was sanctioned by the US government in December 2018 for facilitating conflict and the sale of weapons.[181]
- Manut Kiir, the son of President Kiir, was listed as a shareholder alongside Lt. General Salva Mathok Gengdit’s son on two companies: Meta International Trading Co Ltd and Maltek Consult.[148] [94] In a 2019 response to The Sentry’s report “The Taking of South Sudan,” the Office of the President said that Manut Salva Kiir Mayardit and Gengdit’s son were shareholders in Meta International and that the company was not active.[214]
- Anok Kiir, the daughter of President Kiir, was shareholder in Euro-Afro Trade and Consult Ltd; Lt. Gen. Reuben Riak’s daughter also owned shares in the company.[83]
- Companies connected to the first family also received funds for military procurement. A company partially owned by the first lady, Interstate Airways,[90] reportedly received six payments from South Sudan’s state oil company, Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) in 2014 for army logistics and the transportation of military hardware.[172] In a 2019 response to The Sentry’s report “The Taking of South Sudan,” the Office of the President said that Anok Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riak’s daughter were shareholders in Euro-Afro Tade and that they could not verify whether the company was active.[214]
- Companies connected to the first family also received funds for military procurement. A company partially owned by the first lady, Interstate Airways,[90] reportedly received six payments from South Sudan’s state oil company, Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) in 2014 for army logistics and the transportation of military hardware.[172] In a 2019 response to The Sentry’s report “The Taking of South Sudan,” the Office of the President said that Mary Ayen Mayardit was a 33% shareholder in Inter-state Airways and that the company was active.[214]
- Kiir’s wife and her brother, Vasili, were listed as shareholders of T-Alpha Investments in 2013.[1] The Sentry reviewed documents showing that T-Alpha was a major fuel supplier for South Sudan’s military.[173] T-Alpha was part of a joint venture, Petal Petroleum, with Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas;[76] [119] T-Alpha Investments later purchased Petronas’ shares in Petal Petroleum for 25,000 euros ($27,500).[173]
