Mauritius detains former central bank governor, according to local media

Mauritius’s former central bank governor was taken into custody by police on Friday as part of an inquiry into a conspiracy to commit fraud, according to local media in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Harvesh Kumar Seegolam was ordered to be arrested by the Mauritius police’s anti-money laundering unit last month, but no specifics were given. When the directive was given, Seegolam was abroad.

“Harvesh Seegolam, the former governor of the Bank of Mauritius, was arrested upon his arrival at Plaisance airport this Friday, January 3,” according to the online edition of Le Défi Media Group in Mauritius.

Although the arrest was confirmed, a police representative would not provide any information.

Calls and mails from Seegolam’s attorney to Reuters were not immediately answered.

The daily l’Express was among the various outlets that reported on the arrest.

According to Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who has claimed that the previous administration fabricated the nation’s GDP, budget deficit, and public debt data for years, the former governor’s arrest is the first significant action taken by his administration.

Ramgoolam further charged in a report submitted to parliament that the central bank had printed money to finance the government’s Mauritius Investment Corporation, which was established in 2020 to assist businesses in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic’s consequences.