Raj Dayal: A colourless exit

A little over fifteen months. That’s how long the Alliance Lepep has been in government. Already two members of its Cabinet – Pravind Jugnauth and Raj Dayal – had to step down. On Thursday afternoon, a case was filed at the Independent Commission Against Corruption by the Gahlot Rajput Maha Sabha against majority PPS Sharvanand Ramkaun. The new Foreign Affairs Minister Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo sent another medical notice for seven days’ sick leave. The Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management, Raj Dayal, had to step down this week as he became entangled in a possible graft case. A disastrous week for Dayal who handles the ministry responsible for disaster management. Given his experience as former commander of the Special Mobile Force, he knows a thing or two about how to tackle crisis situations or even dodge bullets... probably. Despite his training at the prestigious Sandhurst Military Academy, he could not avoid getting bogged in a colourful swamp tainted with allegations of corruption which led to his not-so-colourful exit. Earlier this week, businessman Saheeb Nawab Soobhany (aka Patrick) went to ICAC to file a case against the now former minister. Not only that, the businessman also produced a recording of the dealings he supposedly had with Dayal in the latter’s office. The recording found its way to Radio Plus and was subsequently broadcast on Wednesday morning during peak time. During the conversation between two men, a voice attributed to Dayal by the businessman, asked for 52 bales of coloured powder (used for the Hindu Holi festival) to distribute for the festival held on Thursday. The voice says those bales cost Rs 50,000 each. Following the broadcast and probe by ICAC, the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth asked his Minister to step down the same day. Wednesday afternoon, during a press conference, Dayal said he was vacating his ministerial position claiming he “had been framed.” The “timing” of those revelations, which coincides with the resumption of Parliament next Tuesday, speaks volumes, according to him. The rumour mills are running at full steam concerning the underlying reasons for the downfall of this former Commissioner of Police turned politician. Dayal claims there is a conspiracy behind.

Pravind Jugnauth

This is not the first time the government finds itself into a dire situation. Following the guilty verdict pronounced against him by the Intermediate Court, Pravind Jugnauth – leader of the MSM, son of the Prime Minister and heir apparent to the top job – had to step down. He is currently awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court following his appeal against the 12 months imprisonment sentence handed by the Court. It came as a bombshell for the government. Pravind Jugnauth was expected to step into his dad’s shoes and lead the government in October last year. The plans had to be put on hold pending the outcome of the appeal. He is currently a sitting MP and is undertaking a country-wide canvassing campaign to reinforce his position as would-be Prime Minister, should his conviction be quashed.

Golden touch

A week before the Dayal saga, the country had another dose of daily life in politics, with a leaked document concerning a loan contracted by Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, who was until then Finance Minister. Promised during the 2014 electoral campaign as the “doer of economic miracles”, Lutchmeenaraidoo confessed to having taken out a lesser sum of 400,000 euros – out of the 1.1 million euros published on the leaked loan agreement – to speculate on gold. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer turned gold speculator transmuted into Minister of Foreign Affairs. He said the Prime Minister used his prerogatives to transfer him while Sir Anerood Jugnauth stated his minister asked to be relieved from this position. Before this episode, he missed a few Cabinet sessions which sparked off rumours of his exit. Officially, he was suffering from bronchitis which has now relapsed. As such, his first week handling international diplomacy will be spent in clinic.

The latest

On Thursday, ICAC received yet another complaint against a member of the parliamentary majority. This time, Private Parliamentary Secretary (PPS) Sharvanand Ramkaun, who headed the Gahlot Rajput Maha Sabha, saw members of this organisation file a complaint against him for having used his office fax to send faxes with the society’s letterhead to the Electoral Commissioner’s Office and to the MBC. Earlier this year, the group led by Ramkaun was defeated during elections to choose the new executive committee of the society. The allegations at ICAC were levelled by the winning team and PPS Ramkaun said he was not in his office when the faxes were sent. According to the denouncer, the faxes asked for elections at the association to be postponed. The PPS said he is innocent and a member of the association asked to use his fax, to which he agreed. If anything, the movie is still on.

• Raj Dayal was appointed commander of the SMF in 1986.
• He was appointed as Commissioner of Police in 1994.
• In 1997, a Commission of Inquiry is set up on corruption within the police force.
• In 1997, Dayal was suspended as CP.
• In 1999, the commission submits its damning report. Dayal refuses to resign.
• In 2000, following a Constitutional council, he was dismissed.
• In August 2000, Dayal is sued before the Intermediate Court.
• In 2004, his lawyer Yousuf Mohamed asked for proceedings to be discontinued.
• In May 2004, he was arrested in a drugs case.
• In 2005, he was acquitted.
• In 2007, Raj Dayal won at the Intermediate Court.
• The DDP made an appeal which was rejected in 2010.
• In 2011, Dayal sued the State for Rs 1 billion.
• In 2014, he sued former CP Gopalsing for Rs 500 million.
• In 2015, he filed a complaint against Arvin Boolell for defamation.
• Recently, he filed another such complaint against Anil Baichoo.

Who is Patrick Soobhany? Saheed Nawab Soobhany (aka Patrick) spent several years in France. He took over the project of the Societé Gros Cailloux Ltd., incorporated in 2010. Earlier, he worked on property development projects in Tamarin, Black River and Yemen. In 2007, Patrick was the director of the Queen’s Club in Quatre Bornes. Gros-Cailloux Project The project which led to the downfall of Raj Dayal is a real estate development in Gros Cailloux. The Ministry of Environment gave the company the permission to subdivide 13.4 hectares of land into 149 plots. Following his take-over in 2014, Soobanee wanted to increase the number of plots to 284. However, given that he changed the nature of the project, he had to start the procedures afresh. The promoter expected to get the green light by November 2015 and the morcellement should have been sold by October this year.