Central Bank Turmoil: Sithanen Details Accusations as Sanspeur Alleges Cover-Up

The Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mauritius (BoM), Gérard Sanspeur, has resigned with immediate effect at the request of the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam. The resignation comes amidst a slew of accusations leveled against him by BoM Governor Rama Sithanen, including breach of trust, gross misconduct, insubordination, discrimination, and harassment.

Sanspeur’s departure was announced by Sithanen at a press conference this Friday, 29th August, where the Governor detailed the reasons behind the sudden exit.

Sithanen said the matter began with an email from Sanspeur to a senior officer, which was deemed “harassment” and led to an internal investigation.

Three independent lawyers were appointed to lead the inquiry, which resulted in more than a dozen charges against Sanspeur.

A report titled “Issues concerning the SDG” was then reviewed by five independent professionals before being handed to the Prime Minister.

The Governor further accused Sanspeur of lying about a WhatsApp message he allegedly sent to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, in which he is said to have recommended “money printing.”

According to Sithanen, it was this lie that prompted Ramgoolam to ask for Sanspeur’s resignation.

Sithanen stressed that “money printing” would cause a devaluation of the Mauritian rupee and an increase in inflation.

Sanspeur Hits Back, Alleges External Pressure

In a separate press conference held after his resignation on the 29th August, Sanspeur claimed he was the victim of external pressure and “tampering” of documents at the BoM.

“There is an external person who wanted to influence… Minister Damry has this WhatsApp exchange between me and this person whom everyone knows, but whose name I cannot mention,” Sanspeur declared.

He added, “I am sure the Governor is aware of this. Upon learning of this, he should resign.”

Sanspeur claimed to have a document to support his allegations but declined to share it with the press, stating he had contacted a legal representative.

The former Deputy Governor also alleged that the “tampering of board minutes” had occurred over several years to endorse decisions made by the previous regime.

He confirmed he would be filing a formal police report regarding the matter as soon as possible.

Source: Defi Media / Defi Media2