Arrestation de Raj Dayal : ce que dit l’article 4 de la PoCA

L’ex-ministre de l’Environnement Raj Dayal a été arrêté mercredi après-midi 6 avril par l’Independent Commission against Corruption (Icac) sous l’article 4 de la Prevention of Corruption Act (PoCA). L’Icac a ouvert une enquête après que Patrick Soobhany a porté plainte contre Raj Dayal mardi 22 mars. L’homme d’affaires allègue que Raj Dayal aurait sollicité de lui une contrepartie (dont les modalités restaient à être définies) pour ses activités politiques en marge de la fête Holi. Cela en échange d’un feu vert pour un permis Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) dans le cadre d’un projet immobilier à Gros-Cailloux. Patrick Soobhany a enregistré une conversation qu’il dit avoir eue avec Raj Dayal et a déposé la bande-son à l’Icac. L’article 4 de la PoCA prévoit que toute personne trouvée coupable sous cet article encourt jusqu’à 10 ans de prison.

Voici ce que dit l’article 4 de la PoCA :

4. Bribery by public official (1) Any public official who solicits, accepts or obtains from another person, for himself or for any other person, a gratification for – (a) doing or abstaining from doing, or having done or abstained from doing, an act in the execution of his functions or duties; (b) doing or abstaining from doing, or having done or abstained from doing, an act which is facilitated by his functions or duties; (c) expediting, delaying, hindering or preventing, or having expedited, delayed, hindered or prevented, the performance of an act in the execution of his functions or duties; (d) expediting, delaying, hindering or preventing, or having expedited, delayed, hindered or prevented, the performance of an act by another public official, in the execution of the latter’s functions or duties; (e) assisting, favouring, hindering or delaying, or having assisted, favoured, hindered or delayed, another person in the transaction of a business with a public body, shall commit an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding 10 years. 4(2) Notwithstanding section 83, where in any proceedings against any person for an offence, it is proved that the public official solicited, accepted or obtained a gratification, it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, that the gratification was solicited, accepted or obtained for any of the purposes set out in subsection (1)(a) to (e).