Lawyer and Advocate Santino Wani Jada|Profile

A lawyer of the supreme airlines has questioned the mandate of the National Parliament after it summoned the flight company’s  boss, Ayii Duang to account for millions of dollars he claims from the government.

Lawyer Santino Wani Jada, expressed disappointment over the summon that asked Ayii Duang to clarify and disclose the name of the government institution that requested his company to supply subsidized food commodities and fuel product amounting to 193 million dollars.

Santino states that, South Sudan Supreme Airlines is not parastatal to be by interrogated by the lawmakers.

“We are disappointed to see the summon from the national parliament to my client. We never wanted to respond because it will be damaging for the government. But we have been compelled to do that.”

When you read that summon, the laws that they quoted  are regulatory internal rules. South Sudan Supreme Airline chairman is not a member of parliament to answer to those claims because those rules are internal rules.

“Those are rules for Parliament, not for ordinary citizens in the streets of Juba, and we can not just go there and start responding to things. It’s a private company having their own shareholders.”

Ayii Duang’s summon came after a leaked document circulating online, showed an exchange of letters between South Supreme Airlines and the Ministry of Finance.

These documents included a sovereign guarantee and cheques valued at $20,064,950 and $193,248,955.90, respectively.

The lawmakers stated that they are demanding detailed information on all contracts awarded to South Supreme Airlines by the government through the Ministry of Trade and Industry since 2013, including the total amounts involved.

However, Santino Wani describes the move by the national parliament as threat to the company besides their request for the company’s services.

“We shall sue the national parliament whether they like it or not, they were threatening my clients that they will take a legal action. We are waiting for that, let them bring it on, we shall strive from that angel. We shall respond to that,” he said.

Wani underscores that there is evidence to show the company offered services to the government.

“It was the government of South Sudan that wrote a request to our client that they need services, things like food items, fuel for jet planes, transportation of soldiers. We have here document having the bill of cost from our clients,” he added.