Business tycoon urges release of money owed to him to supply commodities

By Simon Deng

The transitional unity government has been asked by a prominent local business man to release money owed to him to enable him import more goods into the country.

Ayii Duang Ayii, President of the South Sudan Business Community and Employers Federation, said he reached with supply companies in Kenya to provide him food items, fuel, building materials and medicines, but this cannot happen without the government paying him his money amounting to over 193.2 million U.S dollars.

Ayii said on Sunday that this money is owed to him for supplying goods to the government since 2013.

“South Sudan Supreme Airlines is requesting for guarantee from the government, the economic situation is deteriorating so we want to use our money  to import food items and fuel to be sold at subsidized prices across all States and the three administrative areas,”  Ayii told journalists in Juba.

The business tycoon’s remarks come in the wake of a letter circulating on social media, in which it details authorization from the national ministry of finance and planning to transfer 8 million dollars to South Sudan Supreme Airline as settlement of outstanding arrears.

South Sudan Supreme Airlines is owned by Ayii Duang Ayii. The company has been embroiled in settlement disputes in court with the families of the 10 victims who died when the plane crashed on 2 March 2021, in Pieri, Uror County.

Ayii revealed that the documents on social media signed by Malual Tap Dieu, the recently relieved first undersecretary of the national ministry of finance and planning are genuine since his outstanding arrears have not been settled by the government.

 “We have signed various agreements with different companies in Kenya, Nairobi and those companies have accepted to supply us with food items and the African Development Bank has accepted to fund this project,” he said.