Dear Editor – On the front page of your issue no. 5445 dated Tuesday 4 March 2014, your paper alleged that Hon. Selwyn Riumana owned MV Utah Princess.
I am instructed by Hon. Riumana to rebut your allegation as being baseless, non-sense and nothing but lazy journalism.
The least your journalists could have done was to search the Marine Registry. A prudent search would have given your journalists the correct information that MV Utah Princess is owned by the Hograno People’s Association.
Also, if your journalists had searched the Company Haus, they would have obtained the correct information that Uta Shipping Company Limited is fully (i.e 100%) owned by the Hograno People’s Association.
And if your journalists cared to be inquisitive to ascertain ownership of Hograno People’s Association by searching the Charitable Bodies Registry, they would have obtained the information that the members of the Association are the people of Hograno District of Isabel Province.
They would also have found that the registered trustees of the Association are:
1. Selwyn Riumana – Chairman
2. Edwin Ero – Treasurer
3. Mary Bako – Female Representative
4. Chief Brown Figri – Member
5. Chief Richard Sopamana – Member
These trustees actively pursue development goals of the Association. Under the command of their Member of Parliament, Hon. Selwyn Riumana, the trustees have been investing in shipping and tourism business for the benefit of the members of the Association.
This is a business model that has benefited well the Hograno people.
Your article did impute unfair sinister insinuations to Hon. Selwyn Riumana.
There was no justifiable reason for your paper to make such insinuation unless driven by ill-motive.
Gabriel Suri,
Solicitor for Hon. Riumana
