The new chairman of Fiji's Ba Provincial Holding Company says he will not apologise to the West Indian mobile telephone company, Digicel.
Digicel had given Ratu Tevita Momoedonu until today to apologise or face legal action for defamation.
In a letter to Ratu Tevita, DIigicel's chairman, Dennis O'Brien said statements he made in letters to the Office of the President and to the minister for information earlier this month were extremely defamatory and untrue.
Mr O'Brien said Digicel was not corrupt nor did it collude with, mislead or deceive the people of Ba or the Fiji government in order to obtain a mobile phone licence.
Mr O'Brien said Ratu Tevita's statements were false, malicious and unjustifiable, and highly damaging to the company's reputation and unless he apologised by today, he would face court action.
But Ratu Tevita has told Radio Legend, "Why the hell should I apologise because this Caribbean company should first apologise to the people of Ba and the provincial council."
Fiji police confirmed earlier this week that they were investigating threats made by Ratu Tevita that there would be bloodshed if Digicel was given a licence to operate in Fiji.
