Having failed to obtain permission from the Supreme Court to refer his case to the King’s Privy Council, Navin Ramgoolam applied to the British body by way of a Special Leave. However, this approach was unsuccessful. The Privy Council refused Navin Ramgoolam’s Special Leave. As a result, the former Prime Minister’s retrial before the Financial Crime Division of the Intermediate Court, which had been on hold pending a decision by the Privy Council, will now be able to begin.
On 15 November 2019, magistrates Pranay Sewpal and Navina Parsuramen struck out the 23 charges against Navin Ramgoolam. However, the then DPP, Satyajit Boolell, appealed against this decision. He cited 18 points to challenge the Intermediate Court’s decision.
He won his appeal before Justices Iqbal Maghooa and Renuka Devi Dabee. The latter quashed the decision of the two magistrates and ordered that Navin Ramgoolam be retried, before new magistrates, by the Financial Crime Division of the Intermediate Court. With the Privy Council’s decision, this trial will now begin.
