Africa-Press – Mauritius. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam’s constitutional complaint challenging the seizure of Rs 270 million found at his residence by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) has been postponed to March 26, 2026. On that date, the Supreme Court will hear legal arguments regarding key points of law related to the complaint.
The court will also hear the lawyers’ legal arguments on March 23, 2026, concerning the constitutional challenge about the 2015 seizure by the now-defunct Integrity Reporting Services Agency (IRSA). This money was discovered in safes at his Port-Louis and River-Walk homes. The case was called before Judge Chan Kan Cheong in the Supreme Court, where Ramgoolam was represented by lawyer Shaukat Oozeer, and the FCC by attorneys from the State Law Office (SLO).
Ramgoolam contests the constitutionality of an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) filed against him regarding the origin of these funds, which included Mauritian rupees and foreign currencies. The UWO was initially issued by the IRSA, now merged into the FCC. The FCC remains unsatisfied with Ramgoolam’s explanation that much of the money belongs to the Labour Party and demands concrete evidence to substantiate this claim.
The Prime Minister argues that sections 112(4) of the FCC Act, which requires the accused to prove the origin of seized assets, and section 117, which authorizes the FCC to seize property before any conviction, violate his fundamental constitutional rights. Specifically, he cites his right not to be deprived of property “without due process of law.” Conversely, the FCC disputes the validity of his constitutional challenge based on section 83 of the Constitution.
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