SEXUAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SEYCHELLES

“BLONDE, BLUE-EYED WOMEN TRAFFICKED IN SEYCHELLES”

Says the Leader of Lalyans Seselwa Patrick Pillay in a recent interview shown on the youtube channel, Seselwa Annou Koze, who claims that foreign women have been brought into the country as sex slaves under the Government’s watch.

“Women are being abused by supposed friends of the President”. This loaded statement comes from Patrick Pillay, a former Minister within the government of President James Michel. The claim of human trafficking is not new in Seychelles. However, what is new is that someone who previously formed part of the same establishment and in the know is now revealing all the secrets. Matter of fact, were one to type ‘sex slaves in Seychelles’, one is bound to bump into an article or two about such claims.

According to Mr. Pillay, young women have been tricked into coming to Seychelles under false pretences. These women were brought in from such countries as South Africa, Albania, Macedonia, Italy and the United Kingdom. They were housed at such hotels as the Plantation Club and Kempinski to name a few. Refusing to go into details, Mr. Pillay says that he is ashamed to describe what happened there, but some girls had attempted to commit suicide by jumping into nearby boulders.

In 2008, Patrick Pillay was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his capacity as the Minister, there were several instances where he had to deal with reports of women being brought in and trafficked. From all indications, Mr. Pillay is aware of who was responsible for bringing these young women in – “as the clientele, the Arabs, requested blonde, blue-eyed girls”. On one such occasion, an advert was reportedly placed in South Africa, where girls under 18 were offered the opportunity to come to Seychelles to learn how to be Receptionists. It was only after they arrived in the country that they realised that they had been brought in to provide sexual services, albeit against their wills. One such blonde, blue-eyed girl, who was 16 at the time, who was housed at a hotel, screamed for assistance and she was assisted by employees of the hotel to get back home, as her passport had been confiscated. Upon her return, the girl’s father went to the police in Pretoria, South Africa and the Seychelles Ambassador in that country was contacted. An investigation was opened into the girl’s claims.

By Mr. Pillay’s account, human trafficking has been going on for more than 10 years in Seychelles. Who are the accomplices? The airport workers and those who work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who see what is going on but refuse to report such cases for fear of retribution. Mr. Pillay concluded by saying that these “women are being abused by supposed friends of the President” – if our country is cursed today, it is because of our leaders’ choices, that go against our culture and values, all because of greed.

In 2014, the US State Department upgraded Seychelles to Tier Two. This category is for countries whose “governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.” According to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, Seychelles is listed as being at risk in areas such as trafficking of children, foreign women being sexually trafficked and foreign men being trafficked for labour.

It is to be noted though, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently conducted a Trafficking in Persons campaign. Said campaign touched on the areas that had been mentioned in the report.

GERMAN NATIONALS UNHARMED AS CHARTERED CATAMARAN CAPSIZED IN SEYCHELLES

Efforts are underway to salvage a catamaran that capsized off Cap Lazare in the south-western part of the main Seychelles island of Mahé on Wednesday afternoon, with no casualties.

The Lagoon 440 ‘Zebra Moon’ belonging to the Seychelles fleet of Dream Yacht Charter, which has offices on Mahé as well as on the second most populated island of Praslin, was carrying five people at the time.

Pascal Durand, the manager of Dream Yacht Charter in Seychelles, confirmed  that the five people, who are all German nationals were able to come out unharmed.

According to Durand, the catamaran was heading from the south-western part to the north-western part of Mahé and that the incident was reported at around 2 pm (local time) yesterday.

The Seychelles police, Coast Guards and Maritime Safety Administration (SMSA) were all informed about the incident.

The Director General of the SMSA Captain Joachim Valmont said that they were informed that the five people aboard the vessel had immediately used their dinghy to get off the catamaran within five minutes after they had noticed that it was taking on water and quickly starting to sink.

His clients explained to the police that they were all at the helm station upstairs when the boat's electronics suddenly stopped working, soon followed by the engine.“The skipper decided to go down and noticed when he entered the boat that it was taking on water… they just grabbed the life jackets and decided to put on the water the dinghy…” read the statement.

The five persons then received the help of some local fishermen nearby to get back to shore.

Durand explained that only the front part of the hull was visible when they reached the location about an hour and a half after the incident was reported.

He adds that steps were taken including the setting of mooring lines to ensure that the boat did not drift further away throughout the night considering the sea was a bit rough at the time.

The sunken catamaran was reportedly secured at a distance of about one nautical mile from the shore until this morning when work started to assess the situation and plan the salvage operations.

Dream Yacht Charter, which started operations in the Seychelles in 2001, has over 400 boats operating in over 30 locations worldwide.

The exact cause of the incident is under investigation by the boat charter company.

DRUGS INTERCEPTED BY SEYCHELLES ANTI-NARCOTICS AGENCY AMONG $1 MILLION DRUG BUST

SPDF MEMBER IMPLICATED IN HEROIN DRUG BUST.

Two men appeared before the Court yesterday in relation to possession of drugs. wo suspects arrested by the NDEA in connection to a heroin drug bust of 1.2 kilograms were brought before the Magistrate Court yesterday afternoon, accompanied by their lawyer Basil Hoareau. The two men were remanded into custody and the court will rule on their bail application today.

Reporters who were present for the hearing with the approval of the Magistrate Brassel Adeline were later asked to leave after the lawyer objected to the presence of the media in the room. According to the communiqué received from the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), the drugs were “concealed in a vehicle drive shaft that had recently arrived in the country from Dubai.”

Prior to the court hearing, attempts were made to get detailed information from the Police, the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) as well as the Seychelles Peoples Defence Force where one of the two men are alleged to be working. Mr. Liam Quinn of the NDEA did confirm that “at least one of the men worked for the SPDF” and while there are allegations that the men worked at State House, Ms. Srdjana Janosevic, the Chief Press Secretary within the Information and Press Department at State House, stated to a newspaper that the two men had never worked at the State House.

It is to be noted that this is not the first time that members of the Seychelles Peoples’ Defence Force have been implicated in cases involving the illegal importation of drugs. Last month, the NDEA arrested several crew members of the naval vessel Andromache as they returned from an operation in Madagascar.

 The NDEA communiqué also reported several other arrests and drug seizures, including 13 grams of heroin recovered at an operation in Les Mamelles, 350 grams of heroin seized from a consignment concealed in the wing mirror of a truck imported from Dubai, 149 packages of heroin recovered from a 23-year old male suspect at Anse Royale plus the discovery of 1,384 cannabis plants at Grand Anse Praslin.

COUP D’ÉTAT AGAINST DEMOCRACY AVERTED IN SEYCHELLES

As for now Seychelles does not have a Public Order Act after the Constitutional court took a unanimous decision yesterday that 19 sections of the document are unconstitutional as they violate different Articles of the Constitution of Seychelles.

Public Order Act assented by irresponsible President of the Seychelles

Summarising the 78-page judgment, acting Chief Justice Durai Karunakaran said sections 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9(2), 9(3), 9(4), 9(6), 11, 13(2)(a), 13(3)(a), 14(1), 22(3), 24, 29(2)(a), 29(2)(b), 29(2)(c)and 29(3) are unconstitutional.

Judges Gustave Dodin, Bernardin Renaud and Crawford Elliott Mckee also sat on the bench for the case.

The decision makes all the 19 sections of the Public Order Act, 2013 void, and representatives of both the petitioners and respondents have declared the decision as “historic”.

Yesterday’s judgment concerned the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Public Order Act, 2013 after two cases of similar nature were brought before the court.

The first petition was brought by the Seychelles National Party and Others against the Government of Seychelles and another. It challenged the constitutionality of sections 3(1), 3(2), 6, 8, 11(1), 12, 24 and 29 of the Act, seeking a declaration that those sections are unconstitutional and hence void.

The first case was entered on March 14, 2014 by the first petitioner, the Seychelles National Party represented by its president Wavel Ramkalawan; the second petitioner the Seselwa United Party represented by its then president Ralph Volcère, and by the third petitioner, Citizens Democracy Watch represented by Gelage Hoareau.

The first petitioners were represented by Learned Counsel Anthony Derjacques.

Viral Dhanjee, a citizen of Seychelles, brought the second petition against President James Michel and the Attorney General. Mr Dhanjee challenged the constitutionality of the entire Act due to the extent to which it contravenes the Constitution of Seychelles.

Viral Dhanjee and Alexia Amesbury

According to the judgment, in his pleadings, Mr Dhanjee specifically challenged the following provisions: sections 3(2), 5(1)(a,b), 5(), 6(1)7, 8(3), 8(4), 8(5), 9, 10, 12, 13(1)(b), 15(1), 15(2), 16(1-5), 17, 18(1) and 3, 19(1)(b), 19(4-6), 20(1), 21, 2, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 33 of the Act.

Mr Dhanjee’s case was entered on March 27, 2014. He averred that he had, and continues to have political aspirations in terms of Article 24 of the Constitution which gives him the right to participate in government, and that the Act contravenes and is likely to contravene his rights under the Articles enumerated in paragraph 9 of his Petition, but more specifically Articles 22 and 23 of the Constitution.

He was represented by Learned Counsel Alexia Amesbury.

Attorney General Rony Govinden aided by Mr Anand represented the respondents.

Speaking to the local media, Learned Counsel Alexia Amesbury said the decision is “historic as for the first time in 22 years the Constitutional Court has used powers given to them under the Constitution to declare an Act inconsistent with the Constitution and to declare it void”.

She added: “The interesting thing about this particular piece of legislation is we had the Public Order Act 1959 which was before our Constitution, so the Public Order Act 2013 was supposed to have brought the 1959 Act in line with the Constitution, but instead it violates the Constitution even more than the 1959 Act did.

“The two rights that have been most violated are Articles 22 and 23 – the freedom to assembly, and the right to the freedom of expression. If a country does not have those two rights it cannot call itself a democracy, because those two rights are fundamental and are cornerstones of a democracy. Without those two rights we have no democracy. It is surprising that our country is referred to as a democracy and yet we have the Public Order Act 2013. The Constitution says you cannot amend chapter 3 without a referendum and this Act sought to amend chapter 3 through the backdoor. That is why this judgment is historic and I hope the legislature and executive take note of this judgment and when they bring in the new Act they will implement the observations that the court has made.”

Learned Counsel Anthony Derjacques had this to say: “It’s a great day for Constitutional and fundamental human rights in Seychelles. I felt deeply that Articles 22 and 23 – freedom to assembly, and the right to the freedom of expression – were being infringed by the Public Order Act and the judges have acted in a very authoritative and wise manner in striking down those sections of the Act.

 Now we have to relook at the whole area and I believe this time the executive and the legislature have to consult with all parties and come up with a modern democratic Act to replace the Public Order Act.”

For Attorney General Rony Govinden, he said “today is a historic day and a great day for our democracy. It shows the system is working.  It shows there is a separation of powers and the court independently considers laws of the executive and eventually if it feels there are some provisions in them that are not constitutional  it will rule on these matters and give orders. The courts are there to rule on the constitutionality of any laws that the government passes”.

Mr Govinden added that “it’s the first time and it won’t be the last time because the court obviously looks at the development aspects of laws, how the jurisdiction has changed and interprets and imposes it in our democracy. It then gives a ruling if it finds it partly unconstitutional”.

So what is the next step?

Attorney Govinden explained that it will take some time to scrutinise the judgment and see what are its options.

“There are two alternatives: either we appeal the decision through the Court of Appeal which is the highest court, or we go to the National Assembly with a revised Public Order Act. But both will take time. In the meantime, there are other legal provisions in the penal code and other laws, Police Force Act, which I am sure the law enforcement authorities will be able to use for crowd management in public places,” said Mr Govinden, who added the country needs a Public Order Act to manage and relegate public gathering.

He went on to say that in some other jurisdictions laws have to go to the Constitutional court first before they become law, what is called à priori vetting. But in our system this is not the case as the law goes into the statute book first and then to the Constitutional court.

A draft of the Public Order Act was sent to the National Assembly for consideration on November 28, 2013, approved by the National Assembly on December 6, 2013 and assented to by the President of Seychelles on December 31, 2013. The Act consists of 39 sections of law. The main operative sections of the Act seek to grant the Commissioner of Police and the Police Force with certain powers to control public gatherings, public meetings and public processions in order to maintain law and order across the Republic of Seychelles during non-emergency and non-war times.

THE ABUSE OF POWER CONTINUES; SEYCHELLES MUST VOTE IN A NEW GOVERNMENT

BANK LICENCE STORY DARKENS

While Intershore Banking Corporation is battling a court case to reverse the decision of the Central Bank to refuse a banking licence to the company for the reason that the Central Bank believes that the Beneficial Owner and Board of Directors lack integrity, the Central Bank has been dishing out licences to other companies which appears insulting to the all Seychellois Intershore Banking Corporation.

It will be recalled that the beneficial owner of Intershore Banking Corporation is Philippe Boullé, who is also Charmian of the company and is a lawyer and former Chairman of Barclays Bank, and the other Directors are Ahmed Afif, an economist and former Principal Secretary for Finance and former Director of Nouvobanq, Mr Bernard Pool a senior Chartered Accountant and Auditor, Mr Ayub Suleman, a prominent businessman and Mr Steve Lalande, until recently the CEO of Lungos.

After refusing to grant Intershore Banking Corporation a licence, the Central Bank proceeded to grant a licence to the Bank of Ceylon under controversial circumstances and soon after it was revealed in the media that the Bank of Ceylon had failed to obtain the required permission from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

It has been brought to attention that a couple of months ago, through a publication in the Gazette that a banking licence has been granted to a company named NIBUR International Ltd and records at the Registrar of Companies reveal that the shareholders are Mrs Danielle Chang Leng, wife of the former Governor of the Central Bank (85% shareholding), Mr Peter Tankov, and Mr Silvan Hurlimann, (joint owners of 15% shareholding) and the Directors are the same persons as the shareholders.

The Puppet Governor and Chairman of the Seychelles Central bank

While it is common practise for the Seychelles people to be taken for fools, one hopes that Mrs Caroline Abel (Governor and Chairman) and the other members of the Board, namely, Mr Ronny Govinden, Mr Wilfred Jackson, Mr Errol Dias, Mr Bertrand Rassool, Mrs Wendy Pierre, who are responsible for granting banking licence will have a good explanation when the time comes for transparency, accountability and integrity in this country.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO MICKEY LESPERANCE?

By A.Pierre

Back in September 2010, two men who went missing during a fishing trip off Coetivy were found with their boat, but a third man in the group was never unaccounted for.

The official story went as such. They left Coetivy Island in a 32ft white fibreglass boat Trial at about 7am on a fishing trip and were expected back at around 3pm the same day; 1^st of September 2010. However they did not return. The men that were on board were George Athanase, Wilhem Laurette – both Islands Development Company workers – and Mickey Lesperance, an inmate on the Coetivy prison. Yes a prison inmate allowed to go on a fishing trip; this is most odd in itself.

The three missing men. From left to right: Laurette, Athanase and Lesperance

On being alerted that same evening, the IDC launched a major search-and-rescue operation, both by air and sea, involving IDC planes, a military plane and the coast guard patrol ship Topaz.

Not soon after George Athanase and Wilhem Laurette, both IDC workers, were found by the Seychelles Coast Guard vessel Topaz.They were flown to Victoria hospital for further observations and were released almost immediately.

Mickey Lesperance, a prison inmate from the Coetivy prison was never found. The police started an investigation on what really happened to him but still to this day, nothing!

Mickey Lesperance

The strange unsolved case has many unanswered questions. Why was a prison inmate allowed to go on a fishing trip? Why was he not accompanied by prison guards? What were the duties of the 2 IDC workers? Was the official story a lie? Why has the prison not made a report public? Was Mickey Lesperance murdered? The people of Seychelles want to know the truth!

Source: http://www.seychelles-enews.com/September%205,%202010/soc1_two_missing_men.html

OUR BEACHES BEING RAPED UNDER JAMES MICHELS` WATCH

The beach being excavated

The new hotel nearing construction at Bel Ombre has caused considerable damage to the adjacent beach and the surrounding environment. In an attempt to rehabilitate the beach, they have encroached on part of the beach well below the high water mark. Seychellois will no longer be able to enjoy that part of the beach at high tide; logs being laid will be the new frontier between the hotel premises and the area to be used by local picnickers. The Seychellois are the losers in this game.

The natural flow of the stream has been blocked

What was once a beautiful extension of Beau Vallon Beach is now deserted with heavy machinery doing all the picnicking. The stream and marsh which flowed through the area have been reinvented to meet the architectural design of the builders; the estuary has been blocked and the once turquoise clear water where the sea merged with the stream is a filthy mess; small fishes are no longer to be seen. It is a sad sight. Has part of the beach been sold to the owners of the hotel?

Wooden poles being erected where Seychellois traditionally relaxed at picnics

 

                            The encroachment; well below the high water mark

Sadly, the narrow walkway built to allow locals access to the beach is still without lights; a sad reminder that the safety of Seychellois is not a priority for government and the developers.

Narrow access to the beach for locals

29TH JUNE 1976 V/S 5TH JUNE 1977

The Birth

On the 29th of June 1976, as the Union Jack was lowered, the newly independent Republic of Seychelles was born. It was a joyous occasion heralded by carnivals, parties, fireworks and general festivities as a fledgling but proud nation moved “En Avant” towards a new destiny full of hope for a bright future. An enthusiastic People welcomed this new dawn and their new Democratic Republic by dancing and celebrating in the streets while enjoying all the freedoms that the new multi-party constitution guaranteed. There was no doubt whatsoever that the 29th of June was a happy occasion for all and the Seychellois people were intoxicated by happiness and hope on that day.

We were free! 1st Edition of the Nation Newspaper

On the 5th of June 1977, a group of armed goons led by a power hungry dictator led a military coup against the very coalition government of which he served as Prime Minister. They declared it as a new dawn for the Seychellois nation. This new dawn, unlike the 29th of June 1976 was not a joyful occasion. No one danced in the streets. Instead it was heralded by the murder of two Seychellois (Bernard Jeannie and Hassan Ali) followed by curfews; the first time Seychellois had witnessed such curtailment of their freedoms in their entire history. The traitors who perpetrated this heinous act of treason, all dressed up in military fatigues, patrolled the streets of our once peaceful country brandishing Russian AK47 assault rifles while intimidating the population. The fireworks that the Seychellois nation witnessed that day were not the beautiful dazzling ones that lit up the Seychelles skies on the 29th of June 1976 but rather, the fire spitting out of the muzzles of AK47 rifles as their bullets ripped into innocent Seychellois flesh and heralded in a new era of political murders and brutal dictatorship. There is no doubt whatsoever that the 5th of June 1977 was when the Seychellois nation was engulfed and suffocated by a veil of evil darkness that continues to haunt us all to this day.

The treasoners; Albert Rene, James Michel and others

Josette Hoarau

RIP OFF SEYCHELLES

By A.Pierre

The Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) has launched a partly coloured commemorative coin with a face value of R50. The commemorative coin weighs 28.28g. Mike Tirant, head of banking services division, said the coin is limited to a maximum production of 2,500 pieces worldwide.  However, initially only 500 pieces will be produced and made available for sale at the CBS. The selling price of the coin is R1, 000 per coin. The unveiling of the coin took place at the CBS headquarters with the Vice-President.

No mention of the type of metal is indicated in the Seychelles Nation newspaper report and it only mentions “a partly coloured commemorative coin”. One would assume it would be silver!

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=245833

With the assumption it is a silver coin, silver coins globally are normally quoted in ounces. 1 ounce is equal to 28.35 grams. Therefore if it is silver, the new commemorative coin seems slightly underweight.  Currently a 1 ounce Silver American eagle coin cost $19.36 retail and converted to rupees at $13 would give a price of SR252. Naturally one would expect a small mark up; but not in Seychelles. The 1 ounce Seychelles commemorative coin cost SR1000 and the equivalent on the world market cost SR252. This is almost 300% more.  Please “inn tro tar pou fer Seselwa dormi boner!”

ASTOVE; OUT OF BOUNDS!!

Astove Island, situated some 1045 km southwest of Seychelles`s main Island, Mahe, is often described as having the most peculiar form. The raised coral island is a single stretch of land that almost entirely encloses a shallow lagoon with only a winding passage in the southwest.

Astove

The only settlement, on the western coast, has been abandoned since the 1980s, but now a group of some 20 Indian construction workers are currently working on a new development project on the Island. It is believed the men are employees of Green Island construction company Ltd; a construction company belonging to Island Development Corporation Ltd (IDC).

A source who visited the island a month back to transport construction materials including bricks, macadam and crusher dust were shocked that they were not allowed to disembark on the island. None of the 17 mariners onboard the IDC landing craft, Enterprise 2 were allowed.

“We were anchored for 2 days near the island whilst the construction materials were being offloaded; after spending 14 days at sea before reaching Astove. I can`t believe we were denied permission to go ashore” one of the mariners stated. He said the island`s manager who goes by the name of Dubois informed them that unless they have the expressed permission of the IDC Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Savy, they cannot set foot on the island. “As a matter of fact he said Mr Savy has ordered him not to allow any of us to go beyond the beaches”, he said.

The Chief

These incidents are very frequent these days and quite clearly contravenes article 25 of the Constitution which states” Every person lawfully present in Seychelles has a right of freedom of movement and for the purpose of this article this right includes the right to move freely within Seychelles, the right to reside in any part of Seychelles, the right to leave Seychelles and the right not to be expelled from Seychelles.”

He is of the opinion that IDC want to keep under wraps whatever construction is going on there. From his personal observation he thinks it’s a new tourism development citing what he called the near completion of 2 chalets. Astove which is part of the Aldabra group already has an airstrip.

Source:LSH

PS FIGHTS TO KEEP LAND ACQUIRED FROM ONE PARTY STATE

The Principal Secretary (PS) for Investment, Entrepreneurship, Development and Business Innovation, Marise Berlouis, looks set to lose a plot a land sold to her by the state, since the latter failed to give proper regard to the Constitution in selling the land.

The plot is situated at La Misere and was bought by the PS back in 2010, in the midst of negotiation between its original proprietor and the state, to have it returned to its rightful owner.

The country’s Constitution, and with it the application of the 7th Schedule which covers issues relating to land acquisition, dictates that the government has a constitutional obligation to return land acquired during the one party rule to the people that held ownership of these lands prior to July of 1993.

Besides limiting the free reign the government exercised during the one party state to acquire land for whatever purposes it deemed fit, the 7th Schedule implied that land acquired prior to 1993 should be returned to rightful owners, or in the event this is not practical, that owners be compensated for losses incurred. The Constitutional Court reminded the parties before it that the 7th Schedule was the subject of much debate leading to the adaptation of the Constitution, noting that the approval of the Charter was rejected at the first time of asking, because of the level of importance attached to the issue of land acquisition.

 It said the underlying principle of the 7^th Schedule is to assert that no more land is acquired by the state unless it is in the public interest; and to correct injustices of the past when those whose land was acquired could not seek recourse.

The action of the government in this particular case however failed to pay any regard to the Schedule, with the court stating that it blatantly ignored the Constitution when it transferred the plot of land in question to PS Berlouis for a sum of R175,000 in 2010.

 The issue with the transfer is that in awarding the land to the PS, despite the act being illegal, the state placed itself in a position to later claim that it is not in a position to return the land to its rightful owner, as it no longer held the deed.

 But seeing that the land was undeveloped, one of the terms laid down to exact the return of land acquired under the old system, means the transfer was merely a ploy for the government to contravene the Constitution.

Land cannot be returned in only two instances according to the Constitution, when it is in the public interest, or when it is developed or there is a future plan for development. The sale of these lands for commercial gain is strictly prohibited, and since none of the above reasons applied to the plot in question, the petitioner was entitled to have the land returned without hindrance. Regardless of the red flags, somehow the government transferred the land to PS Berlouis, who resides on the adjacent plot together with her husband, former minister in the René Administraion.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Frank Ally, said the transfer was not just unlawful and done out of bad faith, but denotes a lack of respect the regime tends to show towards the Constitution. He said the deed is a case of one PS rendering a favour to another PS, inferring that the PS for Land Use and Habitat at the time, rendered a favour to PS Berlouis, the Principal Secretary for Industry then, in allocating her the land. “People of her status should not be in position to purchase land from the government”, he interjected, noting that she was already a land owner.

 He emphasized that since the government paid no regard to the Constitution the transaction should be declared null and void, and the land consequently transferred back to the petitioner. The court concurred insisting that if it allowed the transfer to stand, it is inviting the next government that comes in power to continue to acquire land and to retransfer these acquired land to cronies. The state’s response, led by State Counsel Chinasamy, is that it had offered compensation to the petitioner, in the form of another plot of similar value at Glacis. The court said the offer should have been extended to PS Berlouis, for the petitioner holds the supreme rights to the land, and not her.

Chinasamy also proposed compensation in the form of money, to which the court responded that every time the offer of money is proposed, it means something wrong or unlawful has been committed. It likened the offer of money to an instant when the police have beaten up an individual, and then offer money in compensation for the person to keep quiet. Against the wall, Chinasamy unreasonably suggested that the land was inconsequential, since it represented a small portion of the total being returned to the petitioner in the same case. Amused, the court laughingly reminded the lawyer that it is unlawful to trample on the rights of others, even if at a minimal.

Lawyer Basil Hoareau was representing PS Berlouis at the hearing and he stated that his client is a bonafide purchaser of the land whose rights should be protected. Mr. Hoareau’s claim that the PS was unaware of the dispute hanging over the land at the time of the purchase was counteracted. Mr. Ally pointed out that Mrs. Berlouis was well aware of the negotiation a year prior to the purchase, as dictated in an affidavit when the approach was made for the land. Furthermore he said PS Berlouis’ husband had purchased a house from his client previously and was very well aware of the petitioner’s situation with the government.

IS JAMES MICHEL HIDING A PRIVATE JET?

By A.Pierre

A top insider source confirms concrete allegations that President James Michel possesses a private jet like many of his African counterparts; he doesn’t like to be left out. The insider who claims to have been on the aircraft is however unsure whether this luxury private jet was a gift or was purchased. The insider confirms apparently that the jet has to be stationed in Abu Dhabi for fear of being discovered if stationed in Seychelles; although when called upon arrangements are allegedly made by Captain David Savy.

The jet setting billionaire President has been photographed on some occasions with this expensive toy. In the photo he is seen disembarking at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport for the 2013 AU summit and being greeted by Ethiopian Minister for Women, Children and Youth; Zenebu Tadesse.

The aircraft built in 2008 is an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy model equipped with 37 VIP aircraft seats and registered as N63AG. It was air worthy and delivered on the 3^rd of September 2008. Strangely enough the last action date is stated as the 4^th of September 2014. Was that because a local newspaper got too close to the real story the year before? The Embraer fixed wing multi engine aircraft list the owner as Aircraft Guaranty Corp (AGC) Trustee, from the city of Onalaska, Texas in the United States. AGC, the Trustee service provider, is just the front. On AGC`s website it states “AGC provides its clients, whether U.S.-based or international, with ownership entities and structures that offer maximum anonymity of ownership, protection from liability claims, and tax reduction benefits.” Therefore the true owner is hidden and it is hidden for a reason; many drug lords and mafia types are afforded this set up. Could  James Michel`s  secret British Virgin island offshore company, Soleil Overseas Holding Ltd that was created on 22 October 2007 , be the vehicle holding this asset?

Airports where the multimillion dollar aircraft has been photographed before include Singapore Changi International Airport, Dubai International Airport, London Stansted Airport and Zürich Airport.

It would appear that the good James Michel wants to vote out the bad James Michel. With earthquake shattering political mistakes made through statements such as there is “non-existent opposition” and “there`s only perception of corruption”; the President if he loves Seychelles should do the country a favour and resign into retirement immediately as the corruption evidence train is headed straight for State House.

DOLOR ERNESTA THE PERCEPTIONIST; SEYCHELLES CORRUPTION

After grabbing the two plots (LD756 & LD757) of land in August 1997 on La Digue by orchestrating a sale to his father through L’Union Estate, Dolor’s appetite and greed for government land overwhelmed him again and in an audacious move he went for the most historical piece of land in the history of this country. V1 was the first plot of land ever surveyed in the Seychelles. It had a big house on it in which the Governor of Seychelles resided, during colonial days. This piece of land was subdivided and again Dolor by using an elaborated exchange deal took possession of that property right under the nose of President James Michel, who was a cabinet minister at the time. He was living next door to that property.

Dolor stole that piece of land along with two others on 31st December, 1998, according to the land transfer document, which was registered with the Land Registrar on 13th January, 1999. Dolor even got himself an exemption from paying stamp duty - three pieces of government land (V10131, V10143 & V10331) worth many millions of rupees at Sans Soucis was gifted for peanuts to the corrupt Parti Lepep central committee member, who should be under investigation for stealing from the poor people of Seychelles. Some people think it’s just a perception. Lepep pe note!!

Perceptionists

THE WELL PUBLISHED LAND ALLOCATION POLICY OF THIS GOVERNMENT IS ONE PIECE OF LAND PER PERSON OR IF YOU HAVE (PRIVATE) LAND ALREADY YOU CANNOT GET GOVERNMENT LAND.

V10131

Source:Seychelles Weekly

SEYCHELLES CATHOLIC BISHOP WIEHE ON HIS WAY OUT

Rumours that Roman Catholic Bishop Denis Wiehe had resigned in reaction to the celebration of Seychelles’ first gay wedding last week, were denied yesterday by the Diocese in Mauritius.

Bishop Denis Wiehe has written to the Vatican asking to be relieved of his responsibilities as Bishop of Victoria, the Catholic Church has confirmed. Pending the Vatican’s approval, Bishop Wiehe should step down. This approval has not been granted yet.

The news however surprised many in the Catholic Church in Seychelles. While the diocese says Bishop Wiehe made an announcement on the radio last week-end, Catholic priests we spoke to say they had not been informed of Denis Wiehe’s decision.

This has led to rumours that Bishop Wiehe’s decision was linked to his displeasure at Seychelles’ first gay wedding celebrated on Saturday 13 June by British High Commissioner Lindsay Skoll at her residence.

Seychelles first gay wedding

 But sources at the Diocese in Mauritius said Bishop Wiehe had told them the gay wedding had nothing to do with the Catholic Church and that it was the Anglican Church that was more concerned by this.

“When they reach the age of 75, all Bishops are required by Church law to send their resignation letter to the Vatican where an ecclesiastic committee will study the request before approving or rejecting it. If they do grant approval, then Bishop Wiehe will step down as Bishop but will continue to act as a priest”, a source at the Diocese in Mauritius said.

Asked whether the Vatican has already approved the request, our source replies in the negative and adds that as at now, the issue of Bishop Wiehe’s replacement does not arise. But sources in Seychelles say it is doubtful Bishop Wiehe will be replaced by a Seychellois.

Denis Wiehe, this newspaper was told, turned 75 on 21 May. His secretary also confirmed that he is still acting as Bishop. The Bishop himself was unavailable for comment.

Denis Wiehe was appointed Bishop of Victoria on 1 June 2002 and will have completed 13 years as Diocesan Bishop on his retirement, if approved.

It was in November 2014 the Vatican confirmed that the retirement age for Bishops will be 75.

Source:Today

PUBLIC NOTICE

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF WEBSITE

FROM SEYCHELLES PARTY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY (SPSD)

On the day of the birth of the Third Republic, 18^th June, the public is informed of the official launch of the Party`s website.

 ALLEZALEXIA.COM

“FER SIR ZOT PA KAPOT EK LAS!”

BY ALEXIA G. AMESBURY

Although I have had the desire for high political office in Seychelles for an infinitely long time it was not until last year that I called at the office of the electoral Commission for the forms to get the ball rolling.

If truth be told I waited with the hope that one day our political leaders will give democracy a chance to take root in Seychelles. I was still in the UK when I came across a Parti Seselwa leaflet that touched me enormously and made me decide to be a part of the vision I read about because I could not push for the thrust to democracy if I was on the outside.

 I returned to Seychelles briefly in1992 and then intermittently but I remember voting in the first multiparty election, and every other election except for the last one in 2011. In 1993 I hoped that with the New Constitution, Seychelles would finally function as a democracy. With the same old leaders I did not expect it to be an overnight democratic success and slowly I began to realize that there was no political will to change the old one Party State mentality.

I now think that when Mr. James Michel was handed over power in 2004 it was already obvious to him as Vice-President and Minister for Finance and Mr. René that the economy was on the verge of collapse. The powers that be, did not expect Mr. Michel to win in 2006. “Sa gato” imminent economic collapse was prepared for the opposition, at the time the SNP, but of course with a two year head start, Michel won, and so he was forced to admit economic failure and call in the IMF.

I have since heard stories of harassment, killings, disappearances, victimisation and detention meted out to those who were fighting and pushing hard for Multi-Party democracy. Today I salute and honour all those who suffered for justice, democracy and freedom in our country because without their courage and determination I would not have been empowered to proudly stand up as a Seychelloise on the verge of participating as a Presidential candidate in the forthcoming Presidential election.

I also salute and honour Dr. Hilda Stevenson Delhomme Seychelles’ First Female Politician. I am aware that today Wavel Ramkalawan is being demonized but we cannot erase history and he was the one who single-handedly opened the eyes and ears of the people when he was the sole voice of the opposition in the National Assembly. I may not agree with one or two of his decisions but I salute and honour him and members of his Party for their persistence, and bravery often in the face of open animosity and State sponsored violence, because without their conviction and belief in the ideals of democracy I would not be standing beside him as a Presidential candidate.

Despite divisive words being spread by the ruling party that the opposition is in disarray I will say this. We are united in or collective desire to remove the elective dictatorship that has ruled Seychelles since 1977 from power. We are united in our collective desire to give Seychelles a President whose mandate starts at the ballot box. If South Africa could emerge as one nation after years of apartheid, we can too.

At the end of the day that is all that the opposition Parties want, and if the people of Seychelles want the same things, they will have to choose whom, among the opposition Leaders they can place their trust and confidence in to deliver, by deciding which leader has the combined qualities of “honesty, integrity, credibility and compassion.” During the 29th Congress of Parti Lepep President Michel said that “Las I dan zot lanmen” and I say “fer sir zot pa kapot ek las”.

PARTI LEPEP; MILKING THE SEYCHELLOIS NATION

The ruling party has grown financially richer and morally poorer every year; they have been real parasites. It has become a formality that the ruling party identifies prime land owned by government, acquires the plots and makes money out of the transactions. It is a highly corruptive practice that needs to stop and the land returned to the people of Seychelles where it will be better utilized for the prosperity of each and every Seychellois.

The parasitic Parti Lepep sucks blood from the Seychellois enriching themselves at the expense of the state. In 1996, Parti Lepep bought three parcels of land on La Digue from the state; Parcels LD 730, LD 704 and LD 702 for the meager sum of SR 110,000. All three parcels are situated at La Passe, La Digue; prime estate. On parcel LD 730 are kiosks believed to be managed by SENPA and the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) office building.

LD730

In 2001, Parti Lepep, then SPPF, signed a lease agreement with the La Digue Development Fund Board for parcel LD 730 over a period of ten years at the rate of SR 25,000 per annum to be disbursed in 12 monthly installments  payable to Parti Lepep La Digue Branch. It effectively means that after ten years, Parti Lepep had recuperated the cost of buying the three plots of land from the lease of one plot only; it fact, guaranteed revenue over the ten years amounted to a quarter million rupees. This is a crime against the people of Seychelles. It is a transaction in which only Parti Lepep makes money; La Digue Development Board has to pay the ruling party whether or not it makes a profit. The same applies to other government agencies caught in the vicious web; most often they are subsidized by the same government that is asphyxiating them financially through weird arrangements and agreements of funneling funds to the ruling party.

LD704

Government agencies continue to be used to enrich the ruling party. As per the lease agreement, a building to be used as an office has indeed been built, but the details of who really invested in the building is not yet fully understood but the SPA has taken over the management of the building and the conditions attached remains a state secret. While it is believed that SENPA has management control over the kiosks, details of rent and lease of the property remains a totally different story.

The same land could have brought in revenue for government and the people of Seychelles which would have gone to the state coffers but Parti Lepep has decided otherwise. The party that claims to have the interest of every Seychellois at heart is bankrupting the country, while amassing sufficient funds to buy votes, distribute bags of cement and five rupee notes. The people of Seychelles is being bought by their own money; what a shame!

James Michel has vowed to cut off the head of Mr Corruption but he heads a system that has elaborate plans to institutionalize corruption at the highest level of government. As Seychellois, there is nothing to be proud of when ruled by such a corrupt regime. Supporters must review and make a deep analysis of their support for the ruling party.

ROBBING THE SEYCHELLOIS PEOPLE

The real truth about Maison du Peuple has to be told so that the younger generation really knows what transpired; the building belongs to the people of Seychelles and every Seychellois has a right to lay claim to it. In fact it is the one thing that needs to be done as soon as possible. Since Parti Lepep has tried to falsely justify their ownership of Maison du Peuple, this newspaper has retrieved archival evidence to prove the contrary.

The Maison du Peuple, in President Rene’s own words, was to be ‘a hyphen between government and people’. The building was designed by Mr John Dunlop Stewart, a local architect. As the building was built by volunteers from all walks of life, the architect took charge of the supervision while the technical drawings was done free of charge by the local engineers, Associated Consulting Engineers (ASCON). ASCON’s contribution was evaluated at SR 150,000.

The financing has also been well documented. The Algerian government contributed 7 million rupees; the major financial contributor. The former Soviet Union contributed 13,050 tons of cement, North Korea contributed 2,000 tons of cement while Belgium donated 59 tons of steel.

The whole Seychellois nation contributed in one way or another towards the construction of the building; from businessmen to schoolchildren. A fund raising committee chaired by the late Minister Philibert Loizeau set as target to raise 3 million rupees which was surpassed. Fishing competitions and other fund raising activities were organized; the most famous being a State House banquet organized by President Rene where all present had to pay SR 250. It was rumoured that Rene actually cooked the food that night. The red granite that gives Maison du Peuple its unique character was donated by the people of Praslin. In June 1979, the foundation stone was laid and by April 1981, 8.5 million rupees had been spent.

Tragically the building that is hailed as being the cultural, social and political venue for all Seychellois citizens in the National Monuments brochure was transferred to Parti Lepep (then SPPF) in February 1996 as part of Parcel Number V 8013. The building which in 1982 had cost more than 10 million rupees to build and in which every Seychellois had contributed was transferred to Parti Lepep for the meagre sum of 900 thousand rupees. This is but one case of national assets being transferred to Parti Lepep at a fraction of the actual cost. It remains doubtful whether the money was actually transferred. This is robbing the Seychellois people.

On its opening by former presidents Rene and Chadli Benjedid of Algeria on the 5th April 1981, a plaque was also unveiled which spoke volumes. It read “Don du Peuple Algerien Au Peuple Seychellois” meaning “A gift from the people of Algeria to the people of Seychelles”. The plaque was later removed and is yet to be seen. However, it remains documented in a book written by the incumbent president in the early eighties. Maison Du Peuple was never a gift to Parti Lepep but to the people of Seychelles!

WHAT IS JAMES MICHEL HIDING?

SOLEIL OVERSEAS HOLDING LTD; 2 YEARS ON

It is 2 years this month since the story broke on James Michel’s secret offshore company and bank accounts in the British Virgin Islands(BVI), from the International Consortium of Investment Journalist (ICIJ) through the offshore leaks database on his Soleil Overseas Holding Ltd. The story first broke on the facebook group, Seychelles Daily and was then picked up in the local press.

Just prior to that, the Seychelles Government took on a massive Bond Debt with Lehman Brothers in 2007 which totalled over $300 Million at an interest of 10% per annum. And shortly after James Michel of San Souci, Mahe Seychelles, registered an offshore company called Soleil Overseas Holding ltd. At the time, Seychelles had foreign exchange control laws. No citizen of Seychelles could depart from the country with more than $400.00. No transaction, could take place, to transfer funds overseas, unless the Central Bank of Seychelles approved the transaction. We need to know where every single cent of Lehman Brothers Bond money went and what the finance charges of these transactions were. Which as citizens of Seychelles, we will have to repay, commencing in 2015 for Ten (10) years.

This was the first time ever that public information had emerged about the country’s head of state assets overseas. Why does our head of state need a secret overseas offshore company and bank account when we have an offshore industry right here? Why has the President completely ignored this legitimate request for transparency by local newspapers that reported on the matter at the time? He has stayed mute on this for the past 2 years! Transparency, is this not one of his beliefs, along with “Judge me by my actions”. His action of no action over the past 2 years speaks volumes. Is the President hiding land or business assets? The real owners of Fishermans Cove Hotel and H Resort hotel are ultimately traced to an offshore BVI company called Hotel Properties Ltd and so is the Four Seasons Hotel through Petit Anse development Ltd and Maritime Property Holdings ltd over in BVI. What does the President expect the people of Seychelles to think?

By A.Pierre