Legal and political icon, Yousuf Mohamed, dies at 88

Yousuf Mohamed, a senior and respected lawyer and minister whose career earned numerous accolades, died on Sunday evening, at 88.

The news was announced by his son Shakeel and other close ones on Facebook.

In a career that spanned six decades, Yousuf Mohamed played an instrumental role in numerous political battles, championed clients whose sentences were overturned and led thousands of post-conviction appeals.

News of Yousuf Mohamed’s death shook the legal and political community. Mohamed, who served as a mentor to many top lawyers, was acclaimed for his encyclopedic knowledge of the most complex areas of law.

He was generous with his skills and sharing them and hoping that others would use them to save lives.

Yousuf Mohamed was also an icon of the Muslim community in Mauritius.

Son of the former leader of the CAM (Muslim Action Committee), Abdool Razack Mohamed, Yousuf Mohamed had a rich political career. He was also Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations from 1976 to 1979.

In July 1995, he was elevated to the rank of Senior Counsel (S.C.).

In 2003, he was made G.O.S.K (Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean).

Yousuf Mohamed’s funeral was held on Monday.

NEWSMORIS conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Mohamed family, particularly his sons Shakeel and Zakir.