Pointing a finger at the system

The way two Ministers voiced out their inner feelings following the arrest of former Minister and Labour MP Mr. Shakeel Mohamed took everybody by surprise. Although Mr. Mohamed gave the impression of being sceptical about the Ministers’ solidarity, he nevertheless urged them, not to say challenged them, to take the necessary actions. Originally, the vice Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Lands Mr. Showkutally Soodhun and the Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance, Institution Reforms, Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation Mr. Roshi Bhadain were holding a joint press conference on Wednesday to talk about the outcomes of the recent mission to Dubai, headed by none other than the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth. Mr. Bhadain’s reaction following a question from the press was more composed; the typical comments that one should expect from a lawyer. “He (Shakeel Mohamed) is a friend and what the police have done to him is unacceptable. The system of provisional charge should be reviewed. Government should act promptly and come forward with the Police Criminal and Evidence Bill. A provisional charge cannot be filed against a person after nineteen years. This is totally unfair”, said Minister Bhadain. As usual, Minister Soodhun was more loudmouthed. Although we are now used to Mr. Showkutally Soodhun’s controversial statements, we could hardly believe what he told the press on Wednesday. “ACP Heman Jangi is overdoing. He should shoulder his responsibilities. I am pointing a finger at him.  If it were up to me, tomorrow morning he would have been ejected. He will know. I will not leave him like this”, said Mr. Soodhun. It was too good to be true for Mr. Mohamed, some sort of a manna that poured directly from above! He very intelligently turned the two Ministers’ statements against themselves, arguing that when Mr. Soodhun is pointing a finger at ACP Jangi, he is in fact pointing a finger towards Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who holds the portfolio for Home Affairs. Obviously ACP Jangi, who is the boss of the Central CID, has denied the accusations leveled against him and has insisted that the arrest of Mr. Mohamed was effected on the basis of new elements that have been gathered in the context of the new enquiry. Subsequently, the Police Commissioner Mr. Mario Nobin also met the press on Thursday to dispel all doubts regarding accusations of influence from higher quarters and to ensure that the new enquiry on the Gorah Issac triple murder case is being handled independently and professionally, and without let or hindrance.  “I am satisfied that all the procedures were followed in view of the arrest of Mr. Shakeel Mohamed”, said a determined Mr. Nobin. And what if Mr. Shakeel Mohamed’s doubts prove to be right? Who knows that Mr. Soodhun has received orders from higher quarters to bring a twist in the plot, so common in Bollywood movies, just to indulge into a face saving device. The arrest of Mr. Mohamed is viewed as being “one too many”, after what happened to Mr. Dawood Rawat and the BAI. Already, when the BAI dismantling started, some accused the government of “Muslim bashing”, prompting the Prime Minister to strongly deny this affirmation. Is there another attempt to once more create the impression that the Sir Anerood Jugnauth-led government has a score to settle with the Muslims? If it is so, who could benefit from such a situation? Also the arrest of Mr. Shakeel Mohamed on Monday was very untimely. It occurred at the same time when Sir Anerood Jugnauth was leading a delegation to Dubai, a predominantly Muslim country. The Mohamed family is closely associated with politics. Mr. Shakeel Mohamed is the third generation from this family: his late grandfather Sir Abdul Razack Mohamed and his father Mr. Yousouf Mohamed S.C. have both served as Ministers.Understandably, the arrest of Mr. Shakeel Mohamed has sparked outrage in some quarters, who term it as a “political vendetta”. To better understand this complex case, we have to take a plunge in history. On 26 October 1996, on the eve of the holding of municipal elections, three Labour activists, namely Zulfikhar Bheeky, Babal Joomun and Yousouf Moorad were gunned down. Subsequently, police arrested three suspects, namely Mr. Bahim Coco, Mr. Matwalib Bhuglow (also known as Chota) and Mr. Chootoo Moondoos. They are all released following a preliminary enquiry at the Port Louis District Court. On 27 November 2000, Mr. Khadafi Oozeer is arrested after police discovered a large number of firearms at his residence. While he was being quizzed by police, he revealed the existence of a “death squadron” which had gunned down people and was behind the Gorah Issac triple murder case. On 3 December 2000, Mr Toorab Bissessur, a member of the “death squadron” was arrested in the context of a fresh enquiry on this case. He averred that the leader of the then Hizbullah (later renamed as Front Solidarité Mauricien) Mr. Cehl Meea was the boss of the squadron. Police started to chase other members of the death squadron. Four suspects, namely Mr. Reeaz Jamaldin, Mr.Noorani Boodhoo, Mr. Azad Nandoo and Mr. Bahim Coco committed suicide. Another suspect, one Islam Pakistanais, has apparently fled the country. On the other hand, Mr. Hateem Oozeer, considered to be the driver of the death squadron, voluntarily surrendered to police. Mr. Liyyakat Polin, who was suspected of being the main shooter of the group was arrested towards the end of December 2000. On 4 December 2000, Mr. Cehl Meea was also arrested and detained for three years. Ultimately the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided to strike out the case on 6 November 2003. Interestingly enough, a few days ago, Mr. Liyyakat Polin, one of those convicted in this triple murder case was released after serving his sentence. He had been convicted on 21 July 2004. Mr. Toorab Bissessur and Mr. Bahim Coco, who are considered as having first hand information on the Gorah Issac Street triple murder case have both passed away. On Thursday, in an interview given to Radio Plus and to l’Express, the widow of Mr. Babal Joomun, Mrs Swaleha Joomun stated in no uncertain terms that Mr. Toorab Bissessur had urged the sum of two million rupees in order to provide information on the triple murder case. She added that she had then given a statement to the police. Earlier, on Wednesday the former boss of the MCIT Mr. Dev Jokhoo had told Radio Plus about his meeting with Mr. Toorab Bissessur in Madagascar and how the latter had urged for a huge sum of money. Why has a new enquiry started? Well, for the simple reason that on Monday 9 November last, Mrs Swaleha Joomun has given a fresh statement to the CCID. As such, a third enquiry on the same case is being carried out in a span of nineteen years.  As an aside, it must be pointed out that Mrs Joomun is quite a bold lady, who dared marry people like Mr.Raffick Goolfee and Mr. Asif Polin just to reach out for the real culprits. It is worth noting that so far Mr. Liyyakat Polin has stated that Mr. Shakeel Mohamed has nothing to do with this case. Similarly the accusations of Mr. Khadafi Oozeer against Mr. Shakeel Mohamed were later pushed aside as being “hearsay evidence”. Taking into consideration the tone of both the Commissioner of Police and ACP Jangi, it seems obvious that they are confident and that other arrests are in the pipeline. What would be the direct political consequences of this third enquiry? At the time of the Gorah Issac Street triple murder case, Mr. Shakeel Mohamed was the candidate of the MSM at the municipal elections. In the meantime, he has matured into a seasoned politician.As leader of the Labour MPs at the National Assembly, he has gained attention thanks to his hard-hitting questions, his eloquence and his excellent command of the English language. His arrest constitutes a real setback for the Labour Party. None of us want to do anything to escalate things into an uncontrolled situation. Let truth prevail, for the benefit of democracy!