In his motion challenging Suren Dayal’s Private Prosecution, the Prime Minister should have included the Director of Public Prosecutions as a party in this case. This is the conclusion of the bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Senior Puisne Judge Nirmala Devat and Judges Iqbal Maghooa and Carol Green-Jokhoo. The bench grants Domingue’s preliminary objection. The hearing was therefore adjourned to 21 March. In the meantime, the Prime Minister’s lawyers will have to include the DPP. When the case was called this morning, Me Antoine Domingue raised a preliminary objection. He claimed that the Director of Public Prosecutions had not been included as a party in the case. This preliminary objection dominated the day’s proceedings. Pravind Jugnauth is challenging in the Supreme Court, by way of motion, the Private Prosecution lodged against him by Suren Dayal in the District Court. So this morning, Me Domingue insisted that the DPP be included as one of the parties in this case. Me Désiré Basset, who represents the Prime Minister, countered that the DPP, “unlike Cendrillon does not need any invitation to join a case”. Basset added that there is no need for the DPP to be a party to these proceedings as his client is asking the court to stop the Private Prosecution, which he said is invalid and an abuse.
The presence of the Prime Minister in the Supreme Court yesterday is related to Suren Dayal’s Private Prosecution before the District Court. Pravind Jugnauth is contesting the action initiated by the defeated member of the Labour Party in Constituency no 8 in the last elections. He filed a motion to dismiss the Private Prosecution lodged by Suren Dayal before the Supreme Court. This motion is to be argued this Monday. The court’s sitting began at around 11h30am before Senior Puisne Judge Nirmala Devat and Judges Iqbal Maghooa and Carol Green-Jokhoo. Suren Dayal is accusing the Prime Minister of having made a false declaration regarding his election expenses during the 2019 legislative elections.
