Corruption in Mauritius

In 1979 two ministers of the ruling Labour Party (Mauritius) government (Badry and Dabee) were dismissed following an enquiry led by Victor Glover (judge) in alleged corruption. The revelations had been made under cover of parliamentary immunity by Harish Boodhoo.[8]

On 18 February 1989 the High Commissioner of Mauritius in Great Britain, the Vatican and West Germany Soo Soobiah and his wife Muriel were arrested at their residence in Surrey, England on charges of disposing of drug proceeds, that is, laundering $670,800 of their son Nigel's drug profits. Nigel Sevan Soobiah had been tracked for months by the FBI as an international dealer of heroin associated with Gambino clan and the Pizza Connection case. In addition Nigel Soobiah was a key contact for the infamous 4 Amsterdam Boys who had been arrested at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam in Holland in December 1985 with 25 kilograms of the narcotic heroin in their suitcase, whilst travelling under the cover of diplomatic passports. The Amsterdam Boys were 4 elected members of the Mauritius National Legislative Assembly who formed part of the ruling MSM-PTr-PMSD coalition. They were Serge Thomas, Ismaël Nawoor, Dev Kim Currun, and Sattyanand Pelladoah.[9] [10]

In 1989 hotel and casino magnate Sol Kerzner acknowledged that he had bribed the leader of Transkei George Matanzima in 1986 in order to preserve Sun International's monopoly on gambling licenses in Transkei, South Africa. This revelation became a scandal in Mauritius, where Sol Kerzner has recently opened a hotel along the western coast of Mauritius and had even received a Mauritian passport. The member of Parliament who had endorsed the citizenship and passport application was Ivan Collendavelloo who was forced to resign from Parliament by his party, the MMM. This triggered by-elections in Constituency No. 15 where Collendavelloo lost his bid for re-election to a political newbie.[11] [12]

The Minister of Energy was sacked by the Prime Minister in 1994 following a scandal involving malpractice during the tendering process for the purchase of a gas turbine by para-statal organisation Central Electricity Board (CEB). The minister had approved a bid which was going to cost Rs 63 Millions more than a competitor's offer.[13][14]

In December 2001 the Economic Crime Office (ECO) was dismantled in the midst of investigations of alleged corruption involving ministers and allies of the ruling MSM-MMM government and past CEO of Air Mauritius Sir Harry Tirvengadum. ECO was soon after replaced by a similar organisation but with reduced power called Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).[15]

Following allegations made in 1999 and subsequent investigation by now defunct ECO the former Labour Party minister of Social Security (Vishnu Bundhun) was handed a 6-months jail sentence for bribery. The magistrates found him guilty of taking bribes during the procurement process of 105,000 blankets which would be donated to pensioners by the government. A senior government civil servant (Permanent Secretary) confessed that the minister had ordered collection of a commission of Rs. 10 per blanket from the supplier.[16]

In 2002 Sir Harry Tirvengadum and other officials of Air Mauritius and Rogers Limited were arrested and prosecuted following revelations of the illegal financial practices which became known as the Caisse Noire Affair.[17] Gérard Tyack (Air Mauritius) revealed the existence of a Swiss bank account in Geneva for the payment to officials of private companies, journalists, politicians, political newspapers and electoral campaigns. It was also used to bankroll the purchase of private cars for Sir Harry's wife and their daughters' overseas studies. It all started in 1981 when then Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was in need of money to save Labour party's political newspaper Advance from bankruptcy.[18] Gérard Tyack spent 2 years in jail, Robert Rivalland of Rogers Limited was acquitted in 2015.[19] Prosecution against Sir Harry Tirvengadum was halted due to his ill health.[20]

In 2003 the former Housing and Lands Minister was arrested and charged with conspiracy to accept bribes in a scandal called Palmargate.[21][22]

Following the re-election of Ashock Jugnauth at the 2005 General Elections as member of the Opposition his defeated rival Raj Ringadoo lodged a legal action in court, alleging that Ashock Jugnauth's re-election was the result of electoral bribes in the form of a promised new Muslim cemetery and by promising jobs to 101 health care assistants from his Constituency No. 8 (Quartier Militaire/Moka) in exchange for votes in his favour. In April 2007 the Supreme Court found Ashock Jugnauth to be guilty. He appealed the verdict to the British Privy Council. But in November 2008 the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council upheld the guilty verdict. [23]As a result Ashock Jugnauth lost his seat in parliament and by-election had to be held in 2009.[24][25]

In 2007, a municipal councillor was arrested on charges of influence peddling involving the allocation of vacant stalls at the Quatre Bornes Markets.[26] The arrest was made by the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) and investigation led by elements of Central Criminal Investigation Department (CCID) as well as ICAC.

In 2008 the Prime Minister confirmed in Parliament that the PMSD Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) Richard Duval had officially lodged a request with the Prime Minister’s Office on 29 April 2008 to give special access to nutritionist Cindy Legallant to La Terrasse, an exclusive VIP lounge at the island's only airport.[27][28] Three months later (on 23 July 2008) Cindy Legallant was arrested on her arrival in Mauritius with Rs 21 Millions worth of the drug Subutex (Buprenorphine) in her suitcase, hidden amongst baby products. She'd been travelling in the same airplane as Richard Duval.[29][30] Richard Duval refused to resign from Parliament despite the public requests of PMSD's president Maurice Allet for him to do so.[31]In 2013 Cindy Legallant was arrested and prosecuted for money laundering associated with the illegal trade of Subutex.[32]

In 2010 in order to create a specialized centre for geriatric care the cabinet of Ministers of the ruling PTR-MSM-PMSD government approved the purchase of the existing MedPoint Private Clinic which was owned by Dr Krishnan Malhotra and Mrs Shalini Devi Jugnauth-Malhotra. The latter is the sister of then Minister of Finance Pravind Jugnauth and daughter of then President Sir Anerood Jugnauth. The objective was to convert the hospital into a specialised centre. [33] On 22 July 2011 following an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), then Minister of Health Maya Hanoomanjee was arrested by the ICAC Police and the government chief valuer was suspended from his duties. Pravind Jugnauth was also arrested on charges of "conflict of interest".[34] This became known as the MedPoint Affair or MedPoint Scandal. Paul Bérenger who was Opposition Leader at the time protested against the arrest.[35] On 30 June 2015 Jugnauth was found guilty under Article 13 of the Prevention Of Corruption Act 2002 (PoCA).[36] He was sentenced by the Intermediate court of Mauritius for 1 year of imprisonment. However, he appealed to the Supreme Court of Mauritius and won his appeal.[37] The prosecution appealed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, but the prosecution appeal was unsuccessful. In order to defend the accused parties the Director General of ICAC Navin Beekarry had travelled from Mauritius to London to be present at the January 2019 hearing of this appeal. This was deemed to be a significant conflict of interest by members of the Opposition and the local press.[38]

In 2011 former stable hand and PMSD Parliamentary Press Secretary (PPS) Richard Duval became the main subject of a bribery investigation by ICAC.[39] PMSD activist Francis Casse, his sister Anne Casse and Richard Duval had been reported to ICAC by a businessman who was promised a Tourism Authority's permit to operate pleasure boats in exchange for a bribe of Rs 100,000.00.[40] According to information gathered by ICAC investigators Duval, Francis Casse and Anne Casse had developed a scheme through which they acted as "facilitators" for the prized permits. Richard Duval's half-brother Xavier-Luc Duval had been Minister of Tourism and the Tourism Authority fell under his jurisdiction for a number of years.[41]

On 04 May 2013 Labour Party Campaign Manager and Attorney General Yatin Varma was involved in a car accident at the junction of Des Rosiers Avenue and Trianon 2 Avenue in Quatre Bornes.[42] Eye witnesses stated that Yatin Varma got out of his car with his father Monindra Varma and they both assaulted Florent Jeannot, the driver of the other car. As a result of the aggression Yatin Varma's wrist had to be treated in a cast of plaster of Paris. The main witness Ravi Seenundun was harassed by Labour Party thugs at his residence. In an attempt to broker a deal Maurice Allet (president of the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) and PMSD) met with Florent's father Mario Jeannot at the MPA, Mauritius Turf Club (MTC), and Montmartre church in Rose Hill. Allet proposed a sum of between Rs 1.5 to 1.7 Million Rupees for Jeannot to withdraw his lawsuit and thus settle matters. Businessman and Labour supporter Raj Ramrachia would be supplying the funds.[43][44] When these attempts failed Labour Private Parliamentary Secretary (PPS) Reza Issack started to be involved and organised a meeting at Jeannot's home in Flic-en-Flac where Yatin Varma offered a champagne bottle and a book to Florent's mother. Reza Issack's further attempts to settle the matter failed as Jeannot refused to withdraw his police statement.[45] Following Alan Ganoo's query in Parliament Yatin Varma and PPS Reza Issack resigned. Yatin Varma was soon after hospitalised as he attempted to commit suicide by drinking a bottle of herbicide.[46] Both Labour PPS Reza Issack and Yatin Varma were also arrested.[47][48]

In September 2013 journalist Stellio Antonio, who worked as Public Affairs Manager of lottery company Lottotech, was arrested by Mauritian police following allegations made by Teemal Gokool. In January 2021 Antonio was acquitted as Gokool confessed in Court that local police inspector Rajaram had coerced him to make false allegations against Antonio as an act of revenge.[49] For several years prior to his arrest Antonio had published articles which were critical of the Police des Jeux (Gambling Police), some of which led to the punitive transfer of police officer Rajaram.[50] In 2013 Gokool had alleged that Antonio approached him as part of a Rs 28.3 Millions scam whereby Gokool would claim the prize after pretending to have lost the winning ticket.[51]

In 2013, Dutch dredging group Boskalis was fined the equivalent of €1000 by a court in Mauritius for making illicit payments to a port official. [52] Representatives of Boskalis International bv pleaded guilty of giving bribes and kickbacks of Rs 3 Millions in US Dollars and Euros to the ex-Minister and allies in order to secure the major contract for dredging the port in 2006.[53] Following the same Boskalis bribery scandal the former chairman, former director of Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) were found guilty and were sentenced to 9 months of jail time in November 2019. One of the guilty parties had also been a Labour Party (Mauritius) Minister and the other had been a political lobbyist. [54]

Following the December 2014 elections the new government instigated criminal proceedings to recover about 1,000 acres (1,150 arpents) of state-owned land which had been allocated to the activists and allies of the ex-PM Navin Ramgoolam under his Labour government since 2005. The legal documentation was lodged with the State Law Office (SLO) and Central Criminal Investigation Department (CCID) is also involved in the inquiry. The principal recipients of the various lots of Crown land were Arya Samaj activist and Labour Party activist Suryadeo Sungkur (beachfront land for his restaurant Ritum Coffee at Trou Aux Biches), Lekram Nunlall (Tarisa Resort), Navin Unoop (Voice of Hindu and Vijay Om Hamara),[55] Corporate Hotel Ltd (30 arpents since 2009), British American Investment (BAI) Dawood Rawat's subsidiary Tucson Ltd (20 arpents), Dhanjay Callikan (4 arpents in Balaclava for the brother of Dan Callikan, Navin Ramgoolam's former adviser and former head of Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)), Sandranee Ramjoorawon (also known as "Sandy" the cousin of Navin Ramgoolam who received 7.3 arpents in Palmar for an apartment complex via company Dream Spa & Resorts Limited). Sandranee's husband Rajiv Beeharry, a trusted adviser of Navin Ramgoolam was also appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mauritius Post and Cooperative Bank (MPCB). Tommy Ah-Teck received 19.7 arpents at Albion Beach for the construction of a brand new hotel through his company Insignia Leisure Resorts Ltd. Ah-Teck's company Gamma renovated and extended the house owned by Nandanee Oogarah-Soornack, the girlfriend of ex-Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam. Another of Ah-Teck's company (Lottotech) was granted its gambling-house permit by Navin Ramgoolam. Ah Teck's group of companies Gamma has made donations in excess of Rs18.5 Millions to political parties between 2010 and 2014 when Labour Party was in power.[56][57][58][59]The Labour Party Treasurer Deva Virahsawmy's company Midas Acropolis was also granted 31 arpents of Crown land at St-Félix after the Labour government cancelled the development permit previously awarded to a businessmean from Reunion Island. Prior to the December 2014 elections the ministry held by Deva Virahsawmy awarded approved the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for land clearing of the 31 arpents in preparation of the development of a new hotel. Within the harbour precinct state land was granted to Beta Cement which is a subsidiary of Betonix which is owned by Veekram Bhunjun, who is the brother of ex-minister Rajesh Jeetah's wife. Bhunjun was also awarded 12.5 arpents at Petite-Rivière-Noire via his company Western Marina.[60]

Less than a year after the December 2014 elections political activist Nawshad Khudurun, who had actively campaigned for the MSM in Constituency No. 8, was awarded a contract by the Mauritius Sports Council (MSC) to produce a marketing clip to promote the upcoming National Sports Awards Night (January 2016), although he was not the lowest bidder. At that time the MSC was under direct control of ex-Minister of Youth and Sports Yogida Sawmynaden and the latter had been elected in the same Constituency (No.8) where Khudurun had campaigned for the minister's party (MSM). But Khudurun further revealed that a senior civil servant from the MSC had requested a bribe of Rs 15,000 in order for Khudurun to receive the Rs 176,000 that were owed to him under the terms of the contract. The PRO of the Ministry of Youth & Sports gave him a cheque of Rs 18,000. Later Khudurun also produced sound recordings of conversations to report these cases of malpractice to ICAC as Minister Yogida Sawmynaden offered him an additional Rs 18,000 in cash.[61]

In 2015 the minister of Education (Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun) cancelled private firm Data Communications Limited (DCL)'s contract for the supply of electronic tablets to primary schools. DCL's director Ganesh Ramalingum had already received a deposit of Rs 21.7 millions without supplying a single tablet to any school. However in February 2017 then minister of Technology Yogida Sawmynaden awarded another major contract (to connect 160 schools to the internet) to the same company DCL via the Central Procurement Board (CPB). DCL's director Ganesh Ramalingum requested advance payment of Rs 45 Millions via the State Law Office. Shortly afterwards DCL went into receivership without making any internet connection.[62][63]

In April 2016, the Independent Commission Against Corruption recommended formal proceedings against the former Minister of the Environment.[64] The minister was dismissed when details of the audio recording (bande sonore) were released to the public via the press, suggesting he was asking a real estate developer to donate bales of food-grade pigmented powder (also colloquially known as "Bale Couleur" in French language or "Bal Kouler" in Creole dialect) used during Hindu festival Holi in exchange for ministerial approval of the developer's project.[65]

In the middle of 2015 the MSM Minister of Finance Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, on behalf of his SVL Trust, obtained a loan of 1.1 Million Euros (Rs 45 Millions) from the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) with little details about the purpose of the loan and he provided no asset as security. Despite the list of concerns raised by SBM's Credit Committee, its chairman and president Nayen Koomar Ballah, who's also the brother-in-law of Sir Anerood Jugnauth, not only approved the loan as an "emergency" but also dropped the interest rate from 1.9 percent to 1.5 percent and even increased the loan amount from the requested EUR 1.0 Million to EUR 1.1 Million. Once details of the scandal (conflict of interest) broke out and when ICAC had started its enquiry Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo stated that the loan was for only EUR 400,000 and then provided his residence (worth only Rs 33.48 Millions) as security for the loan of Rs 45 Millions.[66][67][68] As a result of the scandal Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth reshuffled his cabinet of ministers in March 2016 and Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo was transferred from the Ministry of Finance and became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.[69]

In May 2016, the representative of Cisco System filed suit against the National Computer Board (NCB) and executives of the Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA). It was alleged that a bribe is required for all government projects.[70]

In 2016 Umeir Soodhun, the son of then Vice PM Showkutally Soodhun, made a profit of Rs 48 Million by selling his shares in a private company which only a few months earlier had been granted a 60-year lease on 1931 square metres of State-owned prime real estate (Pas Géométriques) along the beach of Grand Baie. Although the original lease between the Government of Mauritius and Soodhun's company (Société Mohamad Umeeir Ibne Showkut) was not transferrable to another party, Umeir Soodhun sold all his shares in order to transfer ownership of the 60-year lease to 4 Chinese foreign nationals. Soodhun even managed to overcome legal restrictions which apply to foreign ownership of Mauritian land by obtaining Sir Anerood Jugnauth's special authorisation. Indeed the Non-Citizens Property Restriction Act prevents foreign nationals from acquiring, holding, alienating or purchasing real estate without a special certificate issued by the Prime Minister's Office. However by 9 November 2016 Sir Anerood Jugnauth had already issued a special certificate which authorised the sale of all of Soodhun's company's shares to Chinese nationals Milao Wang, Jianzhong Zhu, Yu Sun and Liu Senhua. Notary Wenda Sawmynaden, wife of Minister Yogida Sawmynaden, prepared the legal documents for the sale.[71] Originally on 18 June 2012 Minister Soodhun and his wife had transferred their shares to their son Umeir and the shares were valued at only Rs 14 millions.[72]

In 2016 Alentaris selected the candidates for the job of director of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) The president of the IBA, who was a member of the political party in power, was hired as director.[73] In April 2016, the Independent Commission Against Corruption opened an investigation in the recruitment of the director of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (Mauritius).[74]

In 2017 a newspaper uncovered the questionable practice of the director of the Independent Broadcasting Authority to solicit USD 15 000 from investors for each project which required the collaboration of a government ministry.[75]

In February 2017 a member of Parliament sought clarifications from the Speaker whose daughter's company was awarded contracts to supply tinned biscuits to state-owned organisations. In addition the tins bore misleading labels 'Made in UK' when they were supplied by a local baker and the press called the scandal "Biscuitgate".[76][77]The mark-up of 3300% of the locally made biscuits was also highlighted by the investigative journalists.[78][79]

In March 2017 health minister Husnoo revealed that political activist Vijaya Sumputh and close associate of his predecessor Anil Gayan had received a 200% increase in her salary as director of Trust Fund for Specialized Medical Care (TFSMC).[80] Earlier Vijaya Sumputh had also been nominated by then-health minister Anil Gayan as head of the Cardiac Centre. Their association made headlines in 2004 when Vijaya Sumputh was nominated as director of the Tourism Authority when Anil Gayan was minister of Tourism. In 2012 Gayan and Sumputh registered a new company (Southall Company Limited) in their joint names to offer management consultancy services. In 2013 Gayan and Sumputh created a second joint company (Lex Advoc Associates Company Limited) to offer real estate consultancy services.[81]

In March 2018 the President of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned from office following a scandal revealed by the local press and which embarrassed the ruling government which had supported her nomination to the ceremonial office. Receipts of the president's overseas private expenditures (luxury goods such as jewellery and clothing) using a credit card provided by a non-government organisation (NGO) were published. The NGO was founded by an Angolan banker who was keen to obtain a banking licence and other investments in Mauritius.[82]

To further progress the Metro Express project in 2018 the government (Ministry of Land) bought back 42 blocks of land as part of a compulsory acquisition scheme. One of the beneficiaries of the scheme was Minister of Health Anwar Husnoo whose 897 m2 plot of land in Sodnac (Trianon) was bought back for Rs 15 Millions, thus at a rate of Rs 16833 per m2 whereas other land owners only received much lower compensation.[83] Other members of the public only received between Rs 824 per m2 to Rs 11317 par m2.[84]

In June 2020 a corruption scandal dubbed St Louis gate came to light and involved political appointees of the government, board members of the Central Electricity Board (CEB) and Danish firm Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC). In 2014 a tender package was issued by the CEB which was cancelled and reissued in 2015 for a major upgrade of an existing diesel power station at St. Louis, on the outskirts of capital city Port Louis. BWSC was awarded the contract but a whistleblower alerted the financier African Development Bank (ADB) about the bribes received by several CEB employees through an intermediary. ADB investigated the claims and thus excluded BWSC from all future work for 21 months. In June 2020 after this was raised in Parliament the entire Management Team of CEB was stood down and replaced.[85][86] By the end of June 2020 the Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth dismissed the Deputy Prime Minister from his Cabinet. The Deputy PM also held the portfolio of Minister of Energy. The dismissal came after the PM received a report which had been released by ADB alleging that bribes had been paid to various parties via an intermediary during the tendering process.[87]

In July 2020 the contracting firm PAD & Company Limited (PAD & Co. Ltd.) was placed under voluntary administration revelations of fake bank guarantees for civil works contract of the order of Rs 210 Millions, as well as revelations of the firm's involvement in the BWSC-CEB-ADB St Louis gate scandal.[88]Shamshir Mukoon (former director of CEB) and Alain Hao Thyn Voon (former director of contracting firm PAD & CO) have also been interrogated by ICAC investigators.

On 05 September 2020 Bertrand Lagesse, consulting engineer for Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC), was arrested in Mauritius for contravening Articles 3 (1) (b), 6 and 8 of the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act since May 2016. He is suspected of having acquired a property worth 212,948 Euros (Rs 10 Millions) as well as for holding Rs 8.17 Millions in a bank account using proceeds of this corruption. Bertand Lagesse had also erased his telephone and computer records at the time of his arrest.[89]

On 12 June 2020 Labour MP Eshan Juman revealed details of a contract between Ministry of Land and Housing and a private firm called Smart Clinics Ltd. The firm is owned by MSM Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) Ismaël Rawoo, as well as his mother and his brother. The company shares are owned by 3 family members of PPS Ismaël Muhammad Rawoo (1000), An Naas Hamid Muhammad Rawoo (60600) and Aisha Bee Boodhoo-Rawoo (39400). On 24 May 2018 their company Smart Clinics obtained a lease of 60 years on 2 acres of prime beachfront state-owned land (commonly called Crown Land) in Grande Rivière Noire, in the exclusive precinct of Tamarin, Mauritius in Black River.[90] The plot is near Le Morne Anglers' Club and has a panoramic view on Le Morne Brabant mountain. The Rawoos have recently signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with a South African company called Two Futures to develop this land. The existing decrepit hotel (Island Sports Club) which was built on the 2 acres when the Khedarun family held the lease will be demolished and replaced by a dental and medical clinic, restaurant and apartments. As part of the deal PPS Rawoo's family will pay the Khedaruns Rs 15.05 Millions whilst they have agreed to sell the renewed lease to South Africans (Two Futures) for Rs 250 millions. Thus PPS Rawoo's family will generate a profit of around Rs 235 Millions (USD 6 Million) from this deal within less than 2 years.[91][92]

At the end of August 2020 public revelations were made about a land transaction dating back to 2008 during which the two under-age daughters of Pravind Jugnauth became the owners of a block of land worth Rs 20 Millions at Angus Lane in Vacoas on which the Prime Minister has recently built his private mansion.[93] A middleman (Alan Govinden) paid Rs 20 Millions to another party in England to acquire the land. Shortly afterwards ownership of the same land was transferred into the names of the two under-age daughters of Pravind Jugnauth aged 13 and 15. ICAC started to investigate this transaction in 2011 but no progress has been made to date.[94] The block of land was originally part of Domaine des Rountree, with an area of 7023 square metres and adjoined an existing property of politician Pravind Jugnauth. It belonged to the well established Bel-Air Sugar Estate. A Mauritian film producer and businessman (Loganaden Govinden also known as Alan) who migrated to the United Kingdom acted as middleman. The sale contract which was written by notary Jérôme Koenig confirms that the seller received the sum of Rs 20 Millions. Political leaders Roshi Bhadain and Paul Bérenger demanded that Pravind Jugnauth provides full details of the transaction which appears to be highly unethical.[95]

On 18 October 2020 the partially burnt body of MSM activist Soopramanien Kistnen was discovered in a sugar cane field at Telfair, Moka. The field which belongs to Mon Desert Alma [96]Sugar Estate had also been set alight. Before his death he was about to contact ICAC to reveal fake bidding practices within state-owned corporations under the MSM government.[97] Kistnen's company Final Cleaning Ltd was an unsuccessful bidder for a cleaning contract with the State Trading Corporation (STC). Earlier Kistnen's other company Rainbow Construction Ltd also missed out on a contract worth Rs 4.3 Millions to supply Covid-19 test kits. Both of these contracts were awarded to Vinay Appanah's company Techno-World Co Ltd. Vinay Appanah is the brother-in-law of the director of the STC, Jonathan Ramasamy.[98]S. Kistnen's wife Simla revealed that Minister Sawmynaden also invented a fictitious position for her as Constituency Clerk in the Civil Service but the Minister has been pocketing that Rs 15,000 per month salary.[99] Kistnen was also about to reveal how 1200 Bangladeshi nationals, who arrived in Mauritius under work permit visas, voted in several constituencies during the 2019 General Elections. He was also about to divulge the widespread practice of fake invoicing by civil works contractors with political connections, such as the fake invoices that he had issued regarding the beach fences for the South African owners of Clear Ocean Hotel at Pomponnette.[100] The mobile phone that was given to Kistnen by Yogida Sawmynaden to discuss business deals went missing but photos from that phone appeared in propaganda videos released by MSM in an attempt to discredit Kistnen and his wife Simla.[101] Kistnen's close associate Preetam Matadin has been physically assaulted by policemen in their attempt to make him confess to Kistnen's murder. Police also examined his car.[102] [103][104]

Pravin Kanakiah, who worked as Procurement Officer at the Ministry of Finance, was found dead on the coastal region called La Roche Qui Pleure in Souillac on 11 December 2020 near Minister of Finance Renganaden Padayachy's mansion. During the night prior to the discovery of Kanakiah's corpse fishermen witnessed 7 men who were dumping the body in the dark.[105][106][107] There were signs of assault all over his body. Both Soopramanien Kistnen and Pravin Kanakiah had been involved in the award of contracts to sympathisers of Jugnauth's party MSM associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.[108] His wife Reshmee confirmed that just before his disappearance Kanakiah was about to make revelations about significant cases of financial malpractice within his department, and that he was about to be punitively transferred to the Ministry of Health.[109] Sarah Boitieux, a civil servant working at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), was found dead in suspicious circumstances in what appeared like a hanging from the handle of a cupboard in Helvetia in December 2020.[110] In mid-January 2021 the Secretary of the State Trading Corporation (STC) Deven Vythelingum died after facing intense stress levels at work. He had a detailed understanding of all purchasing matters contracts issued by the STC over several decades and his phone also disappeared.[111]