[Communiqué] Le MTC et la MTC Sports and Leisure Ltd s’attendent à pouvoir organiser des courses au Champ-de-Mars pour la saison 2022

Dans un communiqué émis ce lundi soir, le Mauritius Turf Club dit avoir pris note du jugement rendu cet après-midi par la juge Aruna Narain. Jugement dans lequel celle-ci a refusé d’émettre un ordre interlocutoire interdisant au conseil municipal de Port-Louis de donner effet à sa lettre du 27 avril 2022, pour la résiliation de la concession de privilège avec le MTC au Champ-de-Mars, énoncé dans un accord en date du 2 juillet 2008. 

Cependant, le MTC affirme qu’il “finds comfort in the Judge’s findings that to date, the State has not taken any decision with regard to any entity, other than the MTC, being conferred the exclusive use of, or being authorised to organise races at, the Champ de Mars and that consequently, it cannot be excluded that the MTC itself is considered, in accordance with principles of fairness, equality of treatment and transparency, for the exclusive use of the Champ de Mars or the granting by the State, through the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning, of the right to organise races at the Champ de Mars, pending the determination of the main case”. 

Ainsi, le MTC et la MTC Sports and Leisure Ltd s’attendent à pouvoir organizer des courses au Champ-de-Mars pour la saison 2022.  

Voici le communiqué du MTC : 

The Mauritius Turf Club (MTC) has respectfully taken cognizance of the Judgment delivered today by Honourable Justice A. Narain sitting in Chambers. The MTC take notes that:

1.    The State was at all times privy to the existence of the Agreement (Concession de Privilege) entered by the MTC over the Champ de Mars, which is State Land.

2.    The lawfulness and validity of the termination of the Agreement has been and continue to be strenuously challenged by the MTC in the Plaint with Summons it intends to lodge pursuant to the Application subject matter of the present judgment;

3.    The Learned Judge has concluded that there is still a live issue with regard the rights of the MTC under the Agreement (Concession de Privilege) as claimed by the MTC;

4.    The Learned Judge has had no hesitation in finding that there are serious questions to be tried as to whether the Municipal City Council of Port-Louis has lawfully terminated the Agreement (Concession de Privilege);

5.    The Learned Judge has also found that the contention of the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning that the MTC no longer has any rights under the Agreement because of the fact that the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning has resumed its full rights over the Champ de Mars “is over-simplistic” in view of the fact that the State has been privy to the Agreement (Concession de Privilege) over 20 years;

6.    The Learned Judge has further stated that “these issues which are all raised in the Applicant’s (MTC) proposed Plaint can hardly be said to be frivolous or vexatious.”

7.    The MTC finds comfort in the Judge’s findings that to date, the State has not taken any decision with regard to any entity, other than the MTC, being conferred the exclusive use of, or being authorised to organise races at, the Champ de Mars and that consequently, it cannot be excluded that the MTC itself is considered, in accordance with principles of fairness, equality of treatment and transparency, for the exclusive use of the Champ de Mars or the granting by the State, through the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning, of the right to organise races at the Champ de Mars, pending the determination of the main case. 

8.    In the circumstances, the MTC and its subsidiary MTCSL look forward to being able to organize races at the Champ de Mars for the racing season 2022. 

09 May 2022