MT’s Chief Technical Officer resigns amid growing ‘sniffing’ scandal

• MT appoints Kapil Reesaul as new CEO

Girish Guddoy, Chief Technical Officer of Mauritius Telecom, as resigned on Tuesday evening after a letter he signed was brought into Parliament over ongoing allegations of “sniffing” and “high treason” that has ensnared Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

Guddoy, who reportedly spent 20 years at MT, said in a letter to MT that he accompanied the Indian technical team to Bois de Jacotet landing station on April 15 for a controversial “survey” related to “national security”. He added that no sniffing equipment was installed.

The letter, dated July 2 was signed one day after ex-CEO of MT Sherry Singh resigned, alleging that Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth had instructed that this “survey” be conducted – which he considered illegal.

According to the Leader of the Opposition Xavier-Luc Duval, Guddoy had allegedly been forced to sign on a letter stating that no device was connected to the SAFE cable.

The pressure on him was revealed by opposition MPs after PM Pravind refused to give his go-ahead for an inquiry.

Guddoy justified his resignation as being motivated “to stand by my values and do the right thing for me, for my conscience and for my country”.

“With the resignation of the CTO, who has been forced to sign dubious letters and fabricated reports, we now have the confirmation that a HUGE SCANDAL is now unfolding, whose magnitude is beyond measure.”

“This will have multiple and serious repercussions on the private life of Mauritians, the economy, the image of Mauritius at the regional and international level, not to mention diplomatic relations.”

Earlier on Tuesday, opposition MP Shakeel Mohamed had claimed he had seen the “CTO’s real report” – which he claimed, was “damning” against the government.

MT appoints new CEO

While the drama was unfolding, the Board of Directors of Mauritius appointed Kapil Reesaul, as the new CEO of MT, in replacement to Sherry Singh.

According to media reports, the decision was approved by MT’s Board of Directors on Tuesday afternoon. Reesaul is currently MT’s Executive Commercial Director.

Reesaul is a telecommunications professional who has had a long career at MT. He was previously Managing Director of Southern Telecom from 1998-2000. In 2004, he  was appointed Head of Telecom Plus.

Reesaul is expected to take office on his return to Mauritius from Canada.

With inputs from Le Mauricien, l’Express and Defi Media