FILE; A&B Energy Petrol Station in Juba - Courtesy

Foreign businessmen influence and political shielding have derailed a court order to freeze A&B Energy Company now renamed TIC SOM, exposing a high-stakes corporate fight over seized fuel assets.

Armed with court orders, registry certificates, and appellate rulings, South Sudanese majority shareholder John Lual Bang is fighting to reclaim his energy enterprise. Bang alleges that his foreign partners siphoned corporate assets, diverted cash flows, and created a shadow company to exclude him from the business.

Yet, despite explicit judicial directives from the bench to freeze operations, court bailiffs attempting to execute the orders face armed resistance, political gridlock, and systemic non-compliance.

The Origin of the Dispute

The underlying cause of action dates back to 2018, when A&B Energy Limited was incorporated in South Sudan as a commercial joint venture. Official registry certificates from the Ministry of Justice confirm the equity structure: South Sudanese investor John Lual Bang held a 50 percent majority stake, alongside foreign co-investors four Kenyan-Somali business partners: Abdirizak Ali, Liban Ali, Gafow Mohamed, and Abdalla Osman.

However, near the 2022 expiration of the fuel station’s commercial land lease, internal corporate governance collapsed into litigation. Court records and internal filings allege that the foreign partners secretly incorporated a parallel entity, TIC SOM General Trading.

The respondents allegedly transferred A&B Energy’s operational cash flow and physical assets to the new company without board consent, effectively locking out the majority shareholder. Years later, the same respondents expanded operations under the trade name G Oil.

To secure physical possession of the disputed fuel station, the respondents brought in South Sudanese partner Lt. Col. Daniel Thel Anei—a move the petitioner describes as an intentional tactic to enforce physical control and frustrate legal process.

On March 1, 2023, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) reportedly issued a criminal arrest warrant for Daniel Thel Anei over alleged fraud charges related to the property. Similar arrest warrants were also reportedly issued for the Kenyan-Somali business partners over their alleged involvement in the dispute. However, execution reports from court bailiffs confirm that law enforcement attempted to execute the warrants, but the orders were actively resisted or ignored.

Legal Pleadings, Precautionary Injunctions, and Appellate Rulings

The civil litigation reached a critical turning point when the Court of Appeal reviewed interlocutory orders issued by the trial court under Case No. 596/2022 at the Kator Court in Juba.

• Appellate Ruling: Presiding Judge Peter Mazin set aside the lower court’s partial suspension order, ruling that it was unlawful, erred in law, and failed to comply with statutory precautionary measures under the Civil Procedure Act 2007.

• Judicial Order: The appellate court granted the petitioner’s appeal, issuing a full interlocutory injunction ordering TIC SOM General Trading to completely cease all commercial operations at its registered office pending final judgment.

• Enforcement Directive: This ruling reinforced an earlier judicial order dated October 7, 2022, from Judge Thomas Deng Jago directing the court’s enforcement officer to seal the premises and halt operations.

During trial proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the respondents established TIC SOM using A&B Energy’s corporate capital and converted the fuel station for their own use.

The petitioner further noted that the respondents repeatedly altered corporate names—switching between TIC SOM, TIC SOM TRADING, and A&B Energy Ltd.—to delay proceedings and evade judicial oversight.

The petitioner prayed for a full injunction, expedited proceedings, an account of diverted funds, and a court-ordered liquidation and distribution of assets according to initial equity shares.

In reply, defense counsel moved to dismiss the application, arguing that the petitioner failed to satisfy the evidentiary burden of proof required for a precautionary injunction. The defense contended that the petitioner held equity only in A&B Energy, not TIC SOM, and noted that the lessors had issued a three-month notice of non-renewal on the land lease.

The defense further argued that the fuel pump was separate from the cause of action and could not lawfully operate without displaying its corporate logo and trademark. Rebuffing the defense arguments, the court ruled in favor of the petitioner, issuing an injunction to halt TIC SOM General Trading’s operations and ordering all respondents to comply immediately.

Outstanding Right of Reply

Efforts to obtain formal responses or counter-pleadings from the respondents—Abdirizak Ali, Liban Ali, Gafow Mohamed, Abdalla Osman, and Lt. Col. Daniel Thel Anei—regarding the allegations of fraud, asset diversion, and non-compliance remained ongoing at press time. On August 21, 2026, phone calls made directly to co-respondent Liban Ali went unanswered.

The suit continues to test the enforcement of court orders, minority and majority shareholder protections, and the rule of law in South Sudan’s commercial justice system.