His statement was expected since the resignation of Rajanah Dhaliah. Pravind Jugnauth reiterated his position by declaring: “I repeat, there are no allegations of corruption against Maneesh Gobin. There is no reason for him to resign.” It was yesterday, Tuesday, September 5, as part of a visit to the vault of Father Laval, in Sainte-Croix.
Facing journalists, the Prime Minister affirmed that these “allegations are only made by the media and newspapers” . According to him, for these “allegations” to be taken into account, they must be presented before the institution responsible for the investigation. Adding: “(…) We will decide what to do at that time.” The head of government maintains that there are no allegations of corruption targeting Minister Gobin, recalling that the anti-corruption commission has confirmed this.
Regarding the ministerial reshuffle that took place last week, Pravind Jugnauth explains that it was the right time to entrust responsibilities to other members of his team. This “must work as it did before. There were ministries which were managed by a minister, and there comes a time when it is better to appoint a dedicated minister for each ministry. This is how the appointments were made.” Asked about the fact that the Muvman Liberater does not occupy any ministerial position, Pravind Jugnauth adds that he is awaiting the conclusions of the investigation involving Ivan Collendavelloo. “He has already held a ministerial post. And as there is an ongoing investigation into his case, we will decide how to proceed accordingly.”
Furthermore, the Prime Minister has indicated that he is waiting to be summoned to court in the Sherry Singh case. “I am waiting to be called, especially since he is assisted by renowned lawyers. For my part, I do not react to rumors and speculation. Let’s wait and see. But it’s also about my wife and my children. I leave that to your discretion…”
Furthermore, invited to the G20 summit in India, Pravind Jugnauth, who is flying this evening, added that he will take advantage of this opportunity to discuss with his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak. It is likely that the Chagos file will be mentioned again. “It is an honor that Mauritius has been invited to participate in this summit. We will make our voice heard during discussions. I will also have the opportunity to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Given that he will not be in Mauritius to attend the celebrations marking the 159th anniversary of the death of Father Laval, which will take place on Saturday September 9, the head of government went there yesterday. He was accompanied by various deputies, notably elected officials from constituency no. 4. He spoke about the completion of the work identified by the Task Force , which strives to guarantee the smooth running of this pilgrimage, a few days before the event. “I am satisfied that each department has assumed its responsibilities. The visit allowed us to see that all the work had been carried out. We have also undertaken improvements around this site and strengthened existing infrastructure.”
Pravind Jugnauth says he hopes that the pilgrimage will take place in a pious atmosphere and urges those who make the trip to show discipline.