A frightening yet compelling case

If there is one person who embarrasses everyone, it is none other than barrister Mr. Kailash Trilochun. Already considered as an anvil around the neck of the government, Mr. Trilochun has turned out to be a source of embarrassment even for the opposition, namely the Mauritius Labour Party.

Me. Trilochun was dragged into controversy when the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth revealed at the National Assembly, on Tuesday 9 August 2016, in reply to a parliamentary question from MP Mr. Reza Uteem, that legal fees amounting to Rs 19, 198, Rs 436 and Rs 461,150 were paid respectively to Me. Trilochun and attorney-at–law Mr. Roshan Rajroop by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) in the case of Emtel versus ICTA, Mauritius Telecom, Cellplus and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. It must be noted, however, that Me. Trilochun received in fact Rs 18,697,608 while Me Rajroop received Rs 449,120 after tax deductions.   

SENDING SHOCK WAVES 

The Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth stated in no uncertain terms that he was shocked when the amount of the legal fees was brought to his knowledge. The same day, the Minister of Public Utilities, Mr. Nando Bodha, who is the cousin and brother-in-law of Me. Kailash Trilochun, made a statement at the National Assembly, dissociating himself from what had happened at the ICTA and announcing that the Road Development Authority (RDA), which falls under the ambit of his Ministry, had terminated the contract of Me Trilochun as its legal adviser.

The Trilochun’s case proved to be consecrated bread for opposition parties. The leader of the Opposition and of the MMM Mr. Paul Bérenger blasted the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth, holding him responsible for this hard situation. The former Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party Dr. Navin Ramgoolam also commented on the lawyer Trilochun’s legal fees at his meeting with the media on Monday. He recalled that it was the State Law Office which looked at the Emtel case when he was Prime Minister and expressed his astonishment that Me. Trilochun was still the chairperson of the Financial Intelligence Unit. 

A NEW DIMENSION 

But there was going to be another dimension to the Trilochun’s case. When police caught one Sylvio Candahoo on Thursday last, few persons would have doubted that would have again led towards Me. Trilochun. Mr. Candahoo was arrested by Police as they suspected him of being the person who assaulted the chairman of  ICTA, , Mr. Bhanooduth Beharree in May last. An assault which was severely condemned by the Prime Minister,who took the trouble of visiting the chairman of ICTA in hospital. A privilege which not even Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo enjoyed although he was ill for several weeks.    

Some newspapers did mention that the suspect had leaked out the name of a lawyer but few had a doubt about Me. Trilochun. It was only during the week-end that his name was mentioned openly. Very quickly, some persons jumped to some conclusions, especially that the chairman of ICTA had revealed to the Police that he was being pressurized by some persons regarding an administrative matter.

To date, three suspects, namely Mr. Sylvio Candahoo, Mr. Pascal Collet and Mr. Christopher Benoît, have been arrested. A fourth suspect, Mr. Steven Saint-Pierre, will soon be interrogated by the Central CID. A further statement of the chairman of  ICTA Mr. Bhanoodutt Beharree, is expected to carried out soon by a special cell of the CCID. 

ENTER Me. RAMA VALAYDEN 

Now, there has been a twist in the plot that has surprised many. Me. Rama Valayden, the very person who leaked out to the media crucial information regarding payment of the legal fees of Rs 19 million to Me. Kailash Trilochun, is the lawyer of Me. Trilochun in the case of alleged assault against the chairman if ICTA. 

In the event that you are somehow lost, it must be recalled that that the documents that were leaked to the press by Me. Valayden tend to indicate that the Prime Minister was very much aware of the payment of Rs 19 million made to Me. Trilochun. 

For some, it is unconceivable that the very person who is urging for a commission of enquiry on the payment of Rs 19 million by ICTA to Me. Trilochun is now the lawyer of Me. Trilochun. But Me Valayden argues (what do you expect lawyers to do?) that he maintains that there should be a commission of enquiry on  the payment of 

Rs 19 million and that this is a separate matter. For Me. Valayden, he is representing Me Trilochun in the police enquiry on the assault of the chairman of ICTA. And that is a different matter, insists the former Attorney General. 

Now, Me. Valayden is a member of the Labour Party. Why on earth, should somebody (Me. Trilochun) whose cousin/brother-in-law (Mr. Nando Bodha) is the secretary-general of the MSM, find himself a lawyer (Me. Valayden) who is a member of the Labour Party?

Well, there are two explanations to this situation. As Me Valayden has rightly pointed out, he cannot take into consideration the political background of his clients. Then, it seems obvious that the MSM has already dropped Me Trilochun like a hot potato. Even, his own cousin and brother-in-law Mr. Nando Bodha had no choice but to dissociate himself from Me. Trilochun. Could he do otherwise? 

GETTING RID OF PRETENDERS

Former Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Harish Boodhoo has a very cynical view of the current situation. In an analysis published on his timeline on Facebook, he sees what has been happening as a strategy of the Jugnauths to get rid of all potential challengers to the leadership of Mr. Pravind Jugnauth. After Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, Mr. Raj Dayal, it is now the turn of Mr. Bodha to have his neck on the block. However hard Mr. Bodha will battle to sever ties with the Trilochuns, he will end up finding some trying to reconnect him with them, seems to explain Mr. Boodhoo.

Coming back to Me Valayden, it is also understandable that he chooses to ensure the defense of a lawyer who belongs to the same elite cohort as him. And the more so that he seems convinced that his learned friend is a victim of a plot. By whom, seems to ask his comrades from the Mauritius Labour Party. 

If there is one thing that this government is producing in abundance, it is the scandals! In the process, the feel-good factor caused by the Budget 2016/2017 was short-lived because of various situations like the conflict between Good Governance Minister Roshi Bhadain and Senior  Adviser at the Ministry of Finance Mr. Gérad Sanspeur. Can you imagine a minister filing a complaint at the CCID against a Senior Adviser, serving his leader (Mr. Pravind Jugnauth)? The taking over of the former Apollo Bramwell Hospital by Omega Ark is yet another issue that could cause serious problems for the government. 

In the meantime, it seems obvious that the MMM is now distancing itself from the MSM, after having tried some informal talks (kose koser). The poster campaign by the MMM speaks volume of their state of mind. Probably the Omega  Ark file could have weighed heavier than Heritage City in their political calculations. 

The leader of the Labour Party Dr. Navin Ramgoolam seems more confident these days. So much so that he even urged the political parties to go on their own (without an ally) at the general elections. If only there were an opportunity of a by-election somewhere, we would have got an indication of the mood of voters.