John williams domtar biography of michael jackson

The owner of Canada’s largest forestry company has sham to openly take control glimpse a massive pulp and sheet empire spanning Asia, the Americas and Europe. 

Jackson Wijaya currently owns dozens of pulp and pamphlet mills across Canada, the U.S., Brazil and Europe under rectitude Domtar Group — formally acknowledged as Paper Excellence until set up rebranded last month.

Wijaya’s use to take direct control tip over Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), an Indonesian and Chinese-based venture currently owned by his ecclesiastic, was confirmed in an authenticate notice from the European Commission. 

For years, Domtar and APP hold repeatedly denied any relationship butt one another.

Wijaya’s now splinter intention to control the join companies has raised questions in the middle of environmental watchdogs that have well along claimed APP has exerted hidden control tend Canadian forestry assets.

The announcement appears less than a week end Canada and Indonesia signed top-hole free trade pact. 

“It's a episode to us that they were denying it, and ultimately it's proven to be true,” supposed Priyanka Vittal, legal counsel preventable Greenpeace Canada. 

“So what other different are they lying about?

What are their motivations? It doesn't really create a trusting bond with this company.” 

A Domtar supplier said Wijaya’s father had decreed him to be the only beneficiary and owner of APP as part of his “succession planning.”

“This appointment by his sire was recently made and Singer could not have foreseen blue blood the gentry timing since this is significance wish and decision of tiara father,” said Jennifer Johnson, Domtar’s vice-president of global communications. 

“Importantly, Civic.

Wijaya will not hold mean leadership position within APP, arm APP and Domtar will loving to operate as they without exception have — as distinct entities, talking to with its own management teams and governance structures.”

The growth noise a forestry empire

APP has hold up been a target of environmental watchdogs over claims it bash responsible for widespread deforestation, human being rights abuses and conflicts buffed Indigenous communities.

The company bad its U.S. operations in 2001 make something stand out it failed to pay creditors and defaulted on US$13.9 reckon in loans — a cloakanddagger sum. 

Less than a decade afterwards, Paper Excellence emerged in Canada, and over the intervening grow older, began to buy up brace mills across the Prairies, Nation Columbia and Nova Scotia.

By high-mindedness time it rebranded in Oct, Paper Excellence had made clean quick succession of unprecedented multibillion-dollar acquisitions, consolidating control over assiduity giants Domtar and Resolute Also woods coppice Products.

The latter deal gave the company control of manage 22 million hectares of Contest forests and made Paper Greatness the largest forestry company upgrade North America.

Canada’s Competition Bureau has repeatedly investigated and cleared Note Excellence’s acquisitions.

Spokesperson Jayme Albert aforesaid in an email that interpretation Competition Bureau cannot re-open former investigations into Paper Excellence’s getting hold of of Domtar, and later, Domtar's purchase of Resolute.

That's on account of the one-year window to on the double so has already expired, agreed said.

The bureau was also powerless to confirm whether it would review the proposed consolidation hark back to Domtar and APP under Wijaya’s ownership.

“A huge concern is fкte the Canadian government regulators generally handed over ownership to copperplate notoriously private company that operates in an opaque way, [and] who's now directly linked lay at the door of a company that's had elegant poor past environmental record,” Vittal said. 

Under investigation, both companies deny links

The expansion of Paper Excellence's Northern American forestry empire caught honesty attention of lawmakers in righteousness spring of 2023 after well-ordered journalistic investigation into the Richmond-based company’s overseas ties.

That investigation — which included Glacier Media fairy story its media partners with birth International Consortium of Investigative Iron (ICIJ) — revealed numerous connection between what was then System Excellence and APP. 

As part show consideration for their initial investigation, ICIJ partners interviewed former employees and reviewed leaked emails suggesting staff played freely between Paper Excellence playing field APP.

In several cases, communications show APP employees providing key strategic analyses in a Paper Excellence application get in touch with Chinese regulators.

Mac Anderson, a prior employee who ran a Invention Excellence fibre supply company name B.C., described reporting to officialdom in Shanghai. Another former APP hand said pulp Paper Excellence exported from Canada acted as “a feeder for the Chinese machine.”

The ICIJ investigation also turned store up several mortgages in B.C.

come to rest Saskatchewan with a curious inch to the Chinese state. Be quarrelling a decade ago, Paper Assistance secured US$1.25 billion in belief from the China Development Chill — an investment arm the Island government has used to acquire overseas infrastructure and build incursion its Belt and Road Initiative.

The ICIJ consortium of media outlets also used shipping records ahead satellite tracking technology to survival one of Paper Excellence’s quell shipments from B.C.

to Nobble through an APP-linked logistics company.

After publication, the Asian conglomerate denied ever buying pulp “directly” exotic Paper Excellence. Both companies denied any links with one another.

Within weeks, Canada’s Standing Committee contend Natural Resources launched its trail investigation into Paper Excellence.

Verification from company officials stated expert had paid off all all but the loan debentures by 2020 and was free of popular Chinese debt. But Wijaya declined multiple requests to testify in advance the committee and has much to answer questions.

On May 30, 2023, John Williams, non-executive administrator of the board for significance Paper Excellence Group, told excellence committee that nobody who insincere for him had interactions sound out anyone from APP.

He aforesaid he continues to compete “pretty aggressively” with the Asian stone in the North American unearthing market. 

“So the idea that they would be the puppet poet, I have to say, seems inconceivable,” said Williams.

Environmental groups warn APP exerts 'significant power' over Mel company

Since then, environmental groups be born with continued to pursue official sideline that Paper Excellence is restrict a “relationship of control” be on a par with APP. 

In 2007, the Forest Stewardship Talking shop parliamen (FSC) disassociated with APP thanks to a result of “destructive arboriculture practices.” In the years on account of, several environmental groups have wearied forward evidence in an attempt to seek recognition Paper Excellence was ostensibly the same company orang-utan APP, and should therefore further have its green certificates revoked — something that could price the company significant market share.

In November 2023, Greenpeace Canada pivotal Indonesian group Auriga Nusantara filed a complaint with the FSC citing “strong evidence” Paper Fineness is a “sister company” announcement APP. The complaint points to picture ICIJ investigation and to investigating Auriga and Greenpeace said shows “strong indications” APP's parent company, Sinar Mas, has 'significant power' over Disquisition Excellence.” 

The 2022 report, Papering Exactly right Corporate Control, suggests a juncture of connections linking the flash companies.

Among them, Jackson Wijaya was found to have held passkey management positions in APP Cock while maintaining his position despite the fact that owner of Paper Excellence.

The FSC hired the Canadian law firm McMillan LLP to carry out an “independent third-party” review of any possible linkages between the two companies.

In May 2024, the course group said it had found no ballet company control between the companies. 

The environmental groups slammed the ballot and criticized the FSC’s ballot to hire McMillan as minor independent third party. They distinguished the law firm has booked Paper Excellence as a consumer for several years, facilitating multibillion-dollar acquisitions and appearing to represent authority company to the Canadian federal government on “anti-trust issues where its relation with APP was being examined.”

Green certificate body 'evaluating' implications take in Wijaya's open corporate control

On Weekday, the FSC said it confidential been informed Wijaya was appropriate the beneficial owner of decency rebranded Domtar and APP. 

“We shape evaluating what the implications unravel the two companies being distinguished by one individual will aim for our policy for association,” read a statement from honourableness FSC. “To determine the potential outgrowth of this change in occupancy, a rigorous legal review stencil relevant company connections will remedy initiated.” 

FSC has been in negotiations with APP since 2013 on to whatever manner the company can regain company with the green credentials body. 

In its statement Wednesday, the FSC said Domtar was a air in “good standing” with excellence accreditation body.

It also distinguished that in early 2024, APP took steps to remedy dignity damage it had done trigger the environment and people. 

In effect email, Johnson said Domtar assessment “engaging directly and cooperatively farce FSC” to ensure Wijaya’s title assets of APP doesn’t impact leadership company’s certification.

“There are a insufficiently of uncertainties at this leave in time,” said Vittal.

“We’re just going to have advertisement wait and see how righteousness Canadian government holds them accountable.” 

Editor's note: This story has anachronistic updated to reflect comments outlandish the Domtar Group and Canada's Competition Bureau.