His reaction was expected. Maneesh Gobin, Minister of Agro-Industry and also Attorney General came to try to silence some rumors alleging that he took a bribe in the granting of a land lease in the Grand-Bassin region. This was during his participation in a function at the Rampart River Garden as part of the commemoration of the birthday of Sir Anerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Mauritius, last Friday, April 7.
“It has been a few days since I became aware of some press reports that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has opened an investigation into allegations of bribery to facilitate the awarding of a bath for a 250-hectare state-owned land near Grand-Bassin,” he said. The latter said he notes that there are charges against some protagonists and that the case is already in court. Thus, he prefers to be careful in his public statements.
Maneesh Gobin says he will let the ICAC officers do their job, but he denounces the opposition and the press for lashing out at him. “There are wild speculations against my person. I ask everyone to let the ICAC officers do their work. Moreover, I want to point out that ICAC is covered by a law, the Prevention of Corruption Act, which means that the officers of this body must respect confidentiality,” he said.
Concerning the land leases allocated to private developers in Grand-Bassin. The minister recalled that this practice has existed for a long time. By extension, the Minister of Agro-Industry recalls that in Grand-Bassin, the Ganga Talao is reserved as a sacred place. However, he indicates that there are four plots of land around Ganga Talao that, for several years now, have been leased. He informs that his four plots of land are under the control of the state and that “there is no running lease on these four plots of lands”.
In addition, Maneesh Gobin also returned to another controversy concerning the export of macaques abroad. The Minister of Agro-Industry said that this practice dates back to 1985 and that successive governments have allowed the export of a quantity of macaques to foreign laboratories. “The Prime Minister and the government as a whole are sensitive about the export of macaques abroad. An important decision on this issue will be taken soon,” he said.
