L’Amicale Case : Four Convicts Free after 19 Long Years

A happy and unusual scene at Riche Lieu Prison could be seen since early afternoon on Thursday. Reason: Sheik Imram Sumodhee, Khaleeloudeen Sumodhee, Abdool Naseeb Keeramuth and Muhammad Shafiq Nawoor are finally free. The families of the convicted were waiting impatiently for the release of their respective family members.

Commenting on his release, Sheikh Imran Sumodhee stated that it is indeed a great day for them, as they are meeting their families after 19 years despite the fact that they have always been claiming their innocence. He described that the fire at Amicale was barbaric and believes that those who are guilty should pay for it. “We cannot continue to wear the tagline of a criminal. Even if we are out and free, in the eyes of the public, we are still guilty,” he affirmed.

It should be recalled that these four men were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Court in November 2000. They were found guilty of setting fire to the gambling house Amicale in Port Louis in May 1999. This tragedy had killed seven people.

However, Sheik Imram Sumodhee, Khaleeloudeen Sumodhee, Abdool Naseeb Keeramuth and Muhammad Shafiq Nawoor have always claimed their innocence in this matter. In October 2015, their sentence to life imprisonment was commuted to 18 years in prison by the Power Commission of Grace. Their release was scheduled for March 17th, 2019. But in January 2018, their lawyers, including Rama Valayden, had sent a letter to Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, informing him of a “miscalculation of the prison administration.” The authorities thus granted their request.

Retrospective

On Sunday 23rd May 1999, after the football match between the Fire Brigade and the Scouts Club at the Anjalay stadium, Belle Vue, several incidents related to vandalism occurred. In Port-Louis, the offices of the Mauritius Football Association, the Emmanuel Anquetil Building, the police station on Pope Hennessy Street and many other buildings were ransacked by rioters. On the same day, popular game house Amicale became prey to flames. The fire was of a rare violence. After an intervention of several hours, the firefighters managed to circumscribe the fire. Seven people, including an eight-month-old pregnant woman, were found incinerated.

During the week following the tragedy, the police arrested 25 people. Among them were the Scouts Club supporters Sheik Imram Sumodhee, Khaleeloudeen Sumodhee, Abdool Naseeb Keeramuth and Muhammad Shafiq Nawoor. They pleaded not guilty but still they were sentenced to life imprisonment, equivalent to 45 years in prison.

In line with the events, some political leaders also expressed their doubts about the involvement of those who have been sentenced. The appeal of the four prisoners got rejected. Lawyers repeatedly made requests to reopen the investigation in the light of new evidence.

On May 23, 2013, Rama Valayden, together with other lawyers Neelkanth Dulloo, Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, Sameer Hossenbaccus, Ravi Rutnah and other young people, produced a voluminous report entitled "Wrongfully Convicted."

On June 10, 2015, a first attempt was made to have the Power Commission of Grace release the four men, but to no avail. On September 6, 2015, the Commission informed that it was not going to decide on this case. The lawyers then went to the Human Rights Commission which, in June 2015, had indicated in its report that there were factors that worked in favor of the convicts and recommended the return of the case before the Appeals Commission.