Businessman Ayii Duang threatens to sue parliament over ‘defamatory’ summons

JUBA – A deepening feud has erupted between South Sudanese business magnate Ayii Duang Ayii and a parliamentary committee over recent summons issued to him. Ayii’s legal counsel has threatened legal action against the parliament, accusing it of defamation.

In a letter to Justice Minister Ruben Madol, Ayii’s defense attorney, Wani Santino Jada, announced his client’s intention to sue the national assembly. Jada accused the parliamentary committee of recklessly publishing the summon on social media, which he claimed caused damage to Ayii’s company, South Sudan Supreme Airlines.

“I am Writing to formally notify you of instruction from South Sudan Supreme Airlines Co. Ltd (hereafter referred to as the intended applicant) intention to initiate legal action against the TNLA for defamation,” partly reads the letter extended to Sudans Post.

The lawyer claimed that the parliamentary actions were motivated by a desire to gain public sympathy and damage the airline’s reputation. He accused the committee chairman, Mayen Deng Alier, of intentionally targeting Ayii through social media.

“Eng Mayen Deng intention of summoning our client on social media was to get public sympathy with intent to harm the reputation of South Sudan Supreme Airlines. His action has portrayed bad image of the company to its clients and has caused distress to company’ CEO and board of directors,” he said.

To resolve the matter amicably, Jada proposed that the parliament cease defamatory statements, issue a public retraction and apology, and pay a compensation sum of $1,500,000. If the dispute remains unresolved, the legal team has indicated that they may file a case with the East African Court of Justice.

The controversy began when social media was flooded with leaked documents, including letters exchanged between South Sudan Supreme Airlines and the Ministry of Finance regarding a sovereign guarantee and cheques worth millions of dollars.

In response, the specialized standing committee on trade and Industry in the national parliament issued a summon letter to Ayii, demanding that he appear before the committee to clarify the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the cheques and the total value of the claims.

However, Ayii disputed the summons, arguing that the committee should have directed its inquiry to the Ministry of Finance and other relevant authorities. He criticized the committee for issuing the summon through social media and for failing to provide adequate notice.

Ayii confirmed that the leaked cheques were related to his airline company’s claims for services provided to the government in 2013, including fuel and food. He expressed confusion over the motives behind the leak of the documents.