$6 Million Donation from Saudi Arabia: Soodhun Accuses Husnoo of Lying

Showkutally Soodhun has accused former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Husnoo of lying about the $6 million (approximately Rs 282 million) donation from Saudi Arabia intended for mosques. In a statement to RadioPlus on Monday afternoon, June 2, Soodhun, who previously served as Mauritius’ ambassador to Saudi Arabia, claimed that the donation was agreed upon in 2019, not 2017, and that it was not a government initiative.

“I am saddened after hearing Dr. Husnoo, a former minister and deputy prime minister, lie. The $6 million was negotiated in 2019 during my meeting with Prince Salman,” he stated.

“Napa vinn koz manti,” he added, which translates to “Don’t come and talk lies.”

Soodhun also criticized the previous government for delaying the process and expressed gratitude to the current Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, for his proactive approach regarding the donation.

His comments came in response to Husnoo’s earlier statement.

“There was a lot of demagoguery surrounding this issue. It was all falsehoods. The money never came to Mauritius, and it never disappeared,” Soodhun asserted during a press conference.

Husnoo clarified that the MSM government had been working on this matter since 2017, the year Mauritius established an embassy in Saudi Arabia.

“Since then, a lot of work has been done between Mauritius and Saudi Arabia,” he added.

Husnoo made his remarks following the Cabinet’s decision last Friday 30th May to approve the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Islamic Cultural Centre Trust Fund and the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs regarding the donation.

He spoke while accompanying the legal team of the Militant Socialist Movement, which was filing a request for a judicial review in the Supreme Court to contest the dismissal of around 1,600 employees from local authorities.

Source: Defi Media