Businessman who dragged Machar to court is former SPLA-IO officer allied to Gen. Koang Chuol – spokesman

JUBA – South Sudan businessman who dragged First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny to court over an eight-year-old loan is a former member of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) allied to the group’s former deputy chief of staff for administration and finance General Koang Chuol Ranley, a spokesman for Machar said on Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, a businessman who identified himself as Thalage Wal Goch who is in Juba said in the statement that he has launched a lawsuit against Machar for failing to pay back the loan while not cooperating in order for the two to reach consensus on how to repay the money after several requests for him to meet Machar were turned down.

However, speaking to Sudans Post in an exclusive interview on Wednesday evening, Puok Both Baluang, the Acting Press Secretary in the Office of the First Vice President and SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations said there is no truth in the claim that Machar had taken any loan from the businessman.

“When he was asked by the legal team in the office of the First Vice President to present witnesses so that the money can be paid back to him in case there is evidence, he said the loan was taken by the H.E the First Vice President only when they were the only ones presence,” Baluang said from Juba.

“With this, there is no any evidence that the First Vice President has taken the money, but it was only just a ploy to tarnish the refutable name of H.E the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny and he was also asked to present documents bearing signatures of the him and H.E the First Vice President to prove his claim, he said the documents were lost during the July 2016 fighting in Juba,” Baluang added.

He revealed that the businessman is a former member who defected in January 2020 with former deputy chief of staff of the SPLA-IO Gen. Koang Chuol and said the office of the First Vice President is not yet aware on as to why the former opposition officer was making “false claims,” as he failed present official documents proving his claim.

“He was a member of the SPLM/SPLA (IO). He was one of the aides of General Koang Chuol and he failed to present in presence of the legal team of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) and his lawyer to present any official documents that he alleged to prove the loan was authentic,” he said.