Pravind Jugnauth, the former Prime Minister of Mauritius, was arrested on Sunday, February 16, 2025, as part of a money-laundering investigation. Jugnauth served as the country’s prime minister from 2017 to 2024 and is a key member of one of the island’s most powerful political families, which has been in power since Mauritius became independent from Britain in 1968. His arrest is a significant development in an ongoing investigation into corruption and misuse of funds.
Jugnauth and his wife, Kobita, were questioned by the police on Saturday. While Kobita was released after the questioning, Pravind Jugnauth was formally arrested on Sunday morning. The Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) is leading the investigation, looking into a large money-laundering scheme that involves several high-profile individuals, including Jugnauth.
Police raids at a suspect’s house uncovered documents with the Jugnauths’ names, luxury watches, and large amounts of cash in different currencies. The authorities also raided the home of a local real estate executive, where they found more cash, totaling about 114 million Mauritian rupees (around $2.5 million).
This investigation is part of a bigger effort to tackle corruption in Mauritius, a stable island nation known for its economy and offshore financial services. Authorities are concerned that Jugnauth and other suspects might try to leave the country, so a police notice has been issued asking them to stay in Mauritius while the investigation continues.
Jugnauth’s lawyer, Raouf Gulbul, has denied the charges, saying that his client explained his side of the story and rejected the accusations. Jugnauth is expected to go before a judge later today to finalize his bail conditions. He is not allowed to contact witnesses or talk about the case to anyone except the authorities or the court.
During his time in office, Jugnauth was involved in some of Mauritius’ most important political moments, such as overseeing an agreement with Britain for Mauritius to regain control of the Chagos Islands, a long-standing territorial dispute. However, his administration faced criticism in the years leading up to his defeat in the November 2024 elections, when he was replaced by Navin Ramgoolam, a center-left politician.
Since taking office, Ramgoolam’s government has restarted talks about the Chagos Islands, seeking better financial deals and new terms for the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The new government has also called for a review of the country’s public finances, questioning the accuracy of financial records from Jugnauth’s time in office.
Jugnauth’s arrest adds to a growing number of corruption investigations in Mauritius. Last month, the former governor of the country’s central bank was arrested and charged with fraud but was released on bail. These events highlight increasing concerns about financial wrongdoing in both the government and private sectors, even as Mauritius continues to serve as an important financial link between Africa and Asia.
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