In a press release issued this Monday, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions says it will not appeal the Port Louis Magistrates’ Court verdict acquitting former Commerce Minister Yogida Sawmynaden. The DPP’s office says it has reviewed magistrate Anusha Rawoah’s judgment in the Constituency Clerk case. The press release pointed out this case that the prosecution’s case was based mainly on the testimony of the main witness, Simla Kistnen, but the magistrate noted several inconsistencies in her testimony, including a contradictory statement in an affidavit. Based on these facts, the DPP’s office has decided not to appeal Magistrate Anusha Rawoah’s decision. The DPP points out that the prosecution has spared no effort to prove its case and has examined every element thoroughly.
It is to be recalled that Yogida Sawmynaden was acquitted of the two formal charges made against her in the Port-Louis tribunal: using a forged private writing in the False Employment of Constituency Clerk case and forgery in private writing. Magistrate Anusha Rawoah made it clear in her decision that there are numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies in the Simla Kistnen version—the older of Soopramanien Kistnen—about important matters in this hypothetical employment case pertaining to Constituency Clerk.
