Lawyer Sanjay Bhuckory deported from the Seychelles

Mauritian lawyer Sanjay Bhuckory has been refused entry into the Seychelles on Saturday night and was deported to Mauritius on Monday morning. The lawyer was accompanied by his two children. The Seychelles Immigration Department stated that the lawyer failed to present a letter of invitation upon entry and was “unclear about his reasons for visiting the Seychelles,” both of which are not in accordance with the Immigration Decree, according to the PS of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The latter also revealed that immigration officials questioned Sanjay Bhuckory because his ticket was paid for in the Seychelles. Since then, there is much confusion in this case. Mr Bhuckory, who is also a member of the Indian Ocean Commission, was there for a six day stay. The Mauritian lawyer alleges there are politically motivated reasons for this deportation and states that his visit was purely private. “Upon my arrival, I was shocked to be interrogated by immigration officers. It was clear that their intention was to establish a link between my visit and the preparation by the Seychelles opposition for a petition to void the presidential elections. I have friends and colleagues in Seychelles, some of them are close to the opposition. There is no doubt that it is only for this political reason that my access to the country was denied. It is even more deplorable that they have now invented the wackiest excuses to repress me,” he reveals.

Why was he deported?

Back in 2008, the Privy Council upheld a Supreme Court judgment that rendered null and void the election of Ashock Jugnauth at the National Assembly in Mauritius. It was the first time that such a matter was taken to court. The plaintiff was an unreturned candidate of the Labour Party, Raj Ringadoo, who was represented by Sanjay Bhuckory. They sought to prove that Mr Jugnauth’s (who is the step-brother of the current Prime Minister) election was a result of benefits he gave to people in his constituency in his capacity as a Minister and were in fact, acts of electoral bribery. Mr Bhuckory won the case at the Supreme Court and again before the Law Lords of the Privy Council and Mr Jugnauth’s election was consequently annulled.