PORT LOUIS (Reuters) – Harvesh Seegolam, the former central bank governor of Mauritius, was charged with fraud on Thursday and released on bail, his lawyer said, a day after he was arrested alongside the former finance minister over alleged theft from a state company.
Seegolam and former finance minister Renganaden Padayachy have denied wrongdoing in the investigation into the reported embezzlement of 300 million Mauritius rupees ($6.70 million) from the Mauritius Investment Corporation, set up to help companies deal with impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Seegolam is collaborating with the authorities. He is giving all evidence and information related to this case,” Seegolam’s lawyer told reporters.
The government of Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who won power in a November election, has accused the previous administration, under which the two former officials served, of falsifying data on economic growth, the budget deficit and public debt for years.
One of Ramgoolam’s first moves was to launch an audit of public finances. His predecessor, former prime minister Pravind Jugnauth, was arrested in February on charges of money laundering, which he has denied.
(Reporting by Villen Anganan; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alexander Winning and Bernadette Baum)
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