By William Madouk
A businessman, Ayii Duang Ayii, owner of South Supreme Airline defends legitimacy of leaked, controversial documents and cheques amounting to millions of dollars.
He clarified that the amounts in question have not yet been paid.
Ayii’s address came after social media erupted with exchanged letters between South Supreme Airline and the Ministry of Finance. The letters included a sovereign guarantee and cheques worth $20,064,950 and $193,248,955.90, respectively.
In a press conference on Sunday, Ayii confirmed that the leaked cheques pertain to claims for air services provided to the government in 2013 by South Supreme Airline.
“Our cheques are seen in social media and you have seen it too, cheques that belong to South Supreme Airlines containing the claims of the money the government of South Sudan owes us,” he explained.
“This is not a support! but that is our claim as South Supreme Airline,” he added.
Ayii lashed out at peddlers of fake news that it was not a ‘dirty deal’ as they thought and that he did not bribe anyone nor involved in any kind of corruption practices with officials.
He said the cheques in question are not yet settled by the government as South Supreme “up to now we have not received a single pound, the government had not settled us.”
“So, that nobody will think that, we were paid the money and salaries arrears are not paid,” Ayii said.
He explained that due to the economic situation, the Ministry of Finance issued a guarantee cheque as reimbursement for air services offered by South Supreme Airline during the 2013 conflicts.
“That is why the government of South Sudan issued a letter of guarantee to settle us in for 11 months, and that means the government was supposed to settle us in 11 months,” he stressed.
He revealed that due to runaway inflation and commodities prices shooting up, they decided to join hands with private firms to procure food items, medicines, tractors, and petroleum products with an amount worth $193, 248,955.9.
Mr. Ayii said the project also meant to establish a modern slaughterhouse for the exportation of meat, export fish including building materials, in which the firms sought for guarantee cheques.
“We have signed various agreements with different companies in Kenya, Nairobi those companies accepted to supply us with the above items and the African Development Bank accepted to fund this project,” he noted.
“This is our money since 2013, and every time we keep on renewing our claims and we didn’t pay any piasters to anybody, especially those who signed the documents. If that is your thought forget it,” Ayii explained.
“If we really do bribe, I believe we would have received this money a long time ago,” he added.
He urged those who leaked the papers to apologize for spreading misleading information that signatories were bribed and that was what led to the sacking of Malual Tap, the former undersecretary in the finance ministry.