Mauritius issues arrest order for former finance minister, report says

Source: Reuters. Mauritius Minister of Finance Renganaden Padayachy arrives for the first day of a European Union- African Union summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2022.

Harvesh Seegolam, the central bank chief, was released on bail over the weekend after he was detained and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

The arrest order against Padayachy and the charging of Seegoolam were the first major moves by the government of Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who has accused the previous administration of falsifying GDP, budget deficit and public debt figures for years.

Padayachy didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Seegolam's lawyer declined to comment when Seegolam was released from detention on Saturday after being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

In a report to parliament, Ramgoolam, also the finance minister, had also accused the central bank of printing money to fund the state-owned Mauritius Investment Corporation, set up in 2020 to help companies deal with impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Padayachy's arrest notice said it was in connection with investigations into "an alleged embezzlement involving the disbursement of 45 million rupees to the detriment of the Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC), in favour of the company Menlo Park Ltd."