Senior Counsel, Santino Wani Jada from M/S Pan African Law Chambers LLP representing the hotels, said the hotels are demanding over  $61 million in unpaid accommodation and catering bills.

By Anak Dut

At least 31 hotels in Juba have filed a lawsuit against the National Transitional Committee (NTC), led by Presidential Advisor on Security Tut Gatluak Manime at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) in Arusha, Tanzania.

Speaking to The City Review yesterday (on Friday), Senior Counsel, Santino Wani Jada from M/S Pan African Law Chambers LLP representing the hotels in this matter said the hotels are demanding over  $61 million in unpaid accommodation and catering bills.

The Attorney General of South Sudan has been named as the respondent in his official capacity.

Santino said the bill arrears owed by the government to these hotels have not been settled since 2021  and that some of the hotels have run bankrupt and closed down their businesses.

The dispute can be traced back to after signing of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, in which several army generals and various officials were accommodated by the NTC in numerous hotels and apartments. However, as of early 2021, many hotels began evicting these officials due to unpaid bills.

“These hotels got a lease agreement from the landowners and then they established their businesses like hotels and they needed to pay the landowners but they ran out of money,” Wani explained.

“They are demanding millions of dollars from the government. For instance, World Focus Hotel alone owns almost $22 million from the government and it has closed and become a ghost town,” Wani lamented.

According to him, there are over 31 hotels in Juba demanding payment from the government.

“But the government always makes promises that remain in papers without any action. They (hotel owners) need money, they don’t need papers, they need money, their payment,”  Wani said.

“So, they have decided to go to court so that this one has to come to an end.  In total, it’s like $44 million, but with the interest, it is $ 61 million.”

“If it reaches the middle or the end of this year, it will be even more than that if they don’t pay, the money has to be multiplied,” Wani stated.

When contacted, the Undersecretary for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Dr. Gabriel Isaac Awow said that the Ministry has not received documents that the government has been summoned by the East African Court of Justice.

However, he said such cases should have first been resolved at home since it is a national issue and if it fails then they (hotel owners) can refer the case to the East African Court of Justice.

“They are demanding millions of dollars from the government. For instance, World Focus Hotel alone owns almost $22 million from the government and it has closed and become a ghost town,” Wani .