Africa-Press – Mauritius. Scandals usually come to the surface following whistleblower tip-offs – which in the case of the St Louis Gate scandal led to the investigation by Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC) into allegations of misconduct; or following government splits in the wake of which the public will be gratified with a volley of mutual insults and accusations by the two sides which have parted company.
The St Louis Gate scandal might never have surfaced, had it not been for the African Development Bank’s communiqué of 8 June 2020, wherein its Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption concluded that BWSC had financially rewarded members of the Mauritian administration and others, for providing access to confidential tender-related information.
The responsible Minister was made to step down even before ICAC could start its own enquiry. Potential scandals would otherwise be swept under the carpet, and the public kept in the dark.
Ultimately it is the same public which has in the long term to pay the price for questionable decisions and corruptive practices in the public sector in connivance with private sector operators, local or international.
If we go by the long list of scandals that have hogged the headlines over the last few years, it would seem that we are well on our way to touch the bottom.
Among others are the Dufry scandal, the Alvaro Sobrinho scandal, the Yerrigadoo/Bet 365 and Glen Agliotti affairs, later the purchase by Government of a private hospital which was revalued barely weeks after it had known an initial valuation which went on to swell up disproportionately the acquisition price for the government and taxpayers.
There was also the earlier Bel Air Sugar Estate IRS affair which came to the forefront on a suspected case of bribe taking. All these are blatant examples of questionable practices usually resulting from departures from pre-established norms – such departures being shielded from public scrutiny or made possible thanks to the absence of public information on sensitive public matters and decision-taking.
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