The circumstances of David Lammy’s Chagos deal get murkier and murkier. This week, the incumbent Mauritian government went to the polls – and got roundly thrashed. Pravind Jugnauth’s MSM party won just two of the 62 seats in parliament, with the Labour party taking the other 60. Now, five days after losing office, the Mauritian press is reporting allegations that Jugnauth is banned from leaving the country. It is the latest extraordinary claim in an alleged wire-tapping scandal that could derail the UK-Mauritian agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands.
It follows the revelations of Sherry Singh, the former CEO of Mauritius Telecom, which highlighted Jugnauth’s alleged involvement in the acquisition and installation of illegal listening devices. During her testimony, Sherry Singh specified that the order for the listening equipment had been validated by Jugnauth when he was PM. As Zinfos974 notes ‘This case could have major repercussions on the Mauritian political class, with revelations that have apparently already had repercussions on the balance of power on the Sister Island.’
The Independent last month reported fears that that British High Commission’s phones had been hacked during the Chagos Islands talks. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that the Mauritian police were investigating after audio of apparent discussions between Charlotte Pierre, the British High Commissioner, and other political figures were featured on a Mauritian Facebook page.
The conversion is believed to have taken place in the autumn of 2022, meaning it is likely to have occurred towards the start of the negotiations over the Indian Ocean islands. Sub-optimal to say the least. Jugnauth has previously denied his administration were behind the phone-tapping allegations: and that the apparently leaked recordings are ‘fabricated conspiracies and falsehoods.’
Iain Duncan Smith, that doughty defender of British interests, has already asked the Foreign Office to make a statement on ‘the adequacy of the security provisions within Mauritius’ telecommunications system.’ But, sadly, if, unsurprisingly, Anneliese Dodds declined to do so, blandly insisting that ‘this is the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, and we are unable to provide further comment.’
Let’s hope the investigation concludes sharpish eh?
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