South Supreme Airline denies it illegally benefited from oil revenues

JUBA – The privately-owned South Supreme Airline has denied the Audit General Report which said the company has illegally benefited from money meant for oil-producing states.

A report released in April by the Auditor-General revealed that oil producing communities of Ruweng, Upper Nile and Unity have been deprived of a sum of 50 million dollars from 2011 to 2020.

The report said that South Supreme Airline, owned by businessman Ayii Duang Ayii, received $4.1 million to buy an aircraft from money allocated for community development projects.

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Saturday, founder of South Sudan Supreme Airline, Ayii Duang Ayii said his Airline has not benefited from the oil money.

“The report is not true, because we have no relation with the community or oil producing areas, we are demanding 4.1 million from the Ministry of Defense for the cost  of food and fuel supplied to soldiers during the 2013 crisis.  The Ministry of Defense has an account with the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank,” Duang told reporters in Juba on Saturday.

Ayii said they have not received 4.1 million U.S dollar from the Ministry of Finance as claimed by the Audit-General report.

“We are implementing our work with the Ministry of Defense; it is not a support from the Ministry of Finance. It is our own money the Ministry of Defense owed us. The auditor general has to investigate it thoroughly. We have had an open case before and it was proven that money is not paid to different entities. We have been renewing cheques every year but we have not yet received the money,” he said.

He said that the amount in question is unpaid arrears of the fuel and food they supplied to SPLA soldiers during 15th December 2013 crisis.

“If there are people who have stolen money with the documents from finance, the auditor needs to investigate. We are not connected to communities in oil producing areas, if we have any work with the community, there should be regulations,” he disclosed.

He said the amount was paid to different entity known best to the Ministry of Finance

“There is corruption but not all people are corrupt, if there are people involved in corrupt malpractice, the auditor general should not fear, they have the right to investigate and hold those responsible to account,” he added.