Mauritius deep in corruption scandal as Macron visits |
[ad_1] PORT LOUIS: With a former minister and central bank director embroiled in financial scandal, the island idyll of Mauritius is in political turmoil as French President Emmanuel Macron visits this week.At the centre of the mess is ex-finance minister Renganaden Padayachy, who was until recently seen as a key figure in making Mauritius one of Africa's few economic success stories.Right-hand man to the recently ousted ex-prime minister Pravind Jugnauth, Padayachy was arrested last week, accused of defrauding the Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC), a firm set up to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, of some $8 million. Harvesh Seegolam, former head of the central bank, which controlled the MIC, is also under investigation.Padayachy's party, the Militant Socialist Movement, has hit back, accusing the new government which took power in November of using the judiciary to "neutralise" the opposition.A close […]