Mauritius has been linked to a major political row in the Maldives: The island’s President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, has been accused of accepting a US $500 million bribe of “foreign fishing interests” operating in Mauritian waters against a change of position on the Chagos dispute in favour of Mauritius.
The alleged fraudulent transaction was raised by Ibrahim Rasheed, a member of the ruling Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), in the Parliament of the archipelago on Monday 24 April 2023.
The alleged corruption case was also raised by Ahmed Fayaz, a former colonel of the Armed Forces of the Maldives.
In a letter to the island’s Chief Judge on Saturday, ex-Colonel Fayaz revealed the existence of a secret correspondence from Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sent to Pravind Jugnauth in August 2022 without the approval of his Parliament.
In the same breath, President Solih has also been accused of violating his country’s Constitution through secret exchanges with the Mauritian Prime Minister.
The Maldives changed its position in favour of Mauritius on the Chagos dispute in October 2022 – the information was disclosed by the Attorney General of the archipelago to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
At that time, the Maldives were contesting the delimitation of their maritime borders with Mauritius. The change in stand sparked confusion. This led to a motion by the leader of the MDP in Parliament on the possibility that the decision was made under duress or in exchange for bribes.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is expected to give its verdict on the dispute between Mauritius and the Maldives this Friday.
l’Express and Defi Media reported they tried to get a comment from Mauritius Foreign Affairs Minister Alan Ganoo on the accusations. The latter could reportedly not be contacted.
