6 Jan 2016

SMSP asked to front New Caledonia Congress

1:02 pm on 6 January 2016

A New Caledonian party has invited the head of the SMSP nickel company Andre Dang to discuss in Congress the company's financial situation.

Noumea, New Caledonia

Noumea, New Caledonia Photo: AFP

The anti-independence Republicans issued the invitation in a statement after Mr Dang said he regretted that some politicians had so little knowledge about SMSP and therefore kept telling lies.

SMSP is owned by the mainly Kanak northern province whose leadership is pro-independence.

Last week, the Republicans refused to approve the 2016 budget which granted SMSP tax concessions worth 26 million US dollars.

They warned that they might test the budget provision in court because it was legally flawed.

The party says Mr Dang should explain SMSP's situation to the Congress once an audit of the company has been done.

In an interview with the local daily on Tuesday, Mr Dang said the criticism was political because with SMSP, the Kanaks have succeeded in setting up nickel plants with him as an ethnic Vietnamese at the helm.