Satyajit Boolell’s Bid to Stall Sun Tan Probe Hits Roadblock

Former Public Prosecutor Satyajit Boolell, a Senior Counsel, has filed an application to freeze his judicial review proceedings in the Sun Tan case pending a decision on his constitutional challenge to the Financial Crimes Commission Act 2023.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) opposed this application before the Supreme Court on July 9, 2024.

Boolell is challenging his summons by ICAC through a judicial review.

His application is directed against ICAC, the Ministry of Lands and Housing, as well as the Senior Chief Executive of the ministry.

The Attorney General has been cited as a co-defendant.

The former Public Prosecutor had filed an amended judicial review, replacing ICAC with the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) and included a request to freeze his judicial review pending a Supreme Court decision on his constitutional challenge to the FCC Act.

According to ICAC, Boolell’s constitutional complaint has no bearing on his judicial review and there is no connection between the two cases.

ICAC said that Boolell’s application is an abuse of process.

The commission further stated that any unnecessary amendment at this stage of the proceedings would cause undue delay and prejudice to the investigation.

The Sun Tan investigation initiated by ICAC is currently suspended pending a decision on this judicial review.

The judges, Shameen Hamuth Laulloo and Karuna Gunesh Balaghee, are set to hear arguments on ICAC’s objection on November 1, 2024.

The Sun Tan case originated from an anticorruption investigation into allegations of irregularities regarding the lease agreement between Sun Tan Hotels Pty Limited and Palmar, for which Boolell was one of the directors at the time.

Source: Defi Media