23 Nov 2004

Deal to sell shares in Fiji's Daily Post newspaper

4:45 pm on 23 November 2004

Two of the major shareholders in Fiji's Daily Post newspaper are negotiating a deal to sell some, or all, of their holdings in the paper.

A spokesperson for Fiji's ruling SDL party, Mesake Koroi, says Colonial Fiji Limited and Unit Trusts of Fiji, are talking to an Australian businessman about their combined 45 percent of shares.

Mr Koroi, who's a former editor of the paper, says he has not bought shares as was alleged by a Labour MP, Poseci Bune.

And, he says the government, which owns 44 percent of the paper, is not selling its shares in the proposed deal.

"The shares have yet to be bought. What has happened is that there is a group of shareholders, which belong to Colonial Fiji Limited and the Unit Trusts of Fiji, that they wanted to offload their shares. I mean the deal is between these two shareholders and the businessman."

Mesake Koroi would not divulge the name of the businessman or the shareholding that is being sought but says the information is likely to be made public next week.