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In a statement issued Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Seychelles to hold fair and open legal processes against former presidential advisor Mukesh Valabhji and other defendants accused of embezzlement and money laundering in addition to unlawful firearm possession and conspiracy to commit terrorism in November 2021.
Valabhji and his wife were both implicated in the 2002 misappropriation and money laundering of donations of foreign aid from the UAE. Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy director of the Africa division at HRW, commented:
However, delays and anomalies in the judicial process have plagued the case. A request by the Valabhjis to have Chief Justice Rony step down from overseeing the case was denied by the Supreme Court in 2023. The court determined that the couple’s allegations of bias stemming from their personal relationship with the Chief Justice were unfounded and unrelated to the case at hand.
The defendants’ legal representatives informed HRW that they petitioned the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, alleging violations of their rights to a fair trial and exposure to abusive treatment. They cited the prosecution’s failure to disclose necessary documents and information, as well as the last-minute introduction of new witnesses, with the court allegedly disregarding their objections.
Valabhji came under scrutiny in the Pandora Papers, a comprehensive investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and its partners. This investigation, which covered a wide range of wealthy and powerful people’s murky financial activities, exposed Valabhji’s widespread usage of offshore bank accounts and shell companies. With the aid of an extensive database of documents stolen from offshore service providers in the Seychelles, the investigation revealed not only the nation’s status as a popular tax haven but also the covert financial dealings of over 20 politicians from Europe, Asia and Africa.
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Valabhji and his wife were both implicated in the 2002 misappropriation and money laundering of donations of foreign aid from the UAE. Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy director of the Africa division at HRW, commented:
Transparency advocates have hailed the arrests and subsequent legal action against the defendants as a positive development, applauding the anti-corruption commission’s work. Chrystold Chetty, chairman of Transparency Initiative Seychelles, expressed optimism that such actions signal a commitment to combating corruption within the nation.
However, delays and anomalies in the judicial process have plagued the case. A request by the Valabhjis to have Chief Justice Rony step down from overseeing the case was denied by the Supreme Court in 2023. The court determined that the couple’s allegations of bias stemming from their personal relationship with the Chief Justice were unfounded and unrelated to the case at hand.
The defendants’ legal representatives informed HRW that they petitioned the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, alleging violations of their rights to a fair trial and exposure to abusive treatment. They cited the prosecution’s failure to disclose necessary documents and information, as well as the last-minute introduction of new witnesses, with the court allegedly disregarding their objections.
Valabhji came under scrutiny in the Pandora Papers, a comprehensive investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and its partners. This investigation, which covered a wide range of wealthy and powerful people’s murky financial activities, exposed Valabhji’s widespread usage of offshore bank accounts and shell companies. With the aid of an extensive database of documents stolen from offshore service providers in the Seychelles, the investigation revealed not only the nation’s status as a popular tax haven but also the covert financial dealings of over 20 politicians from Europe, Asia and Africa.
The post HRW calls for fair, transparent and impartial proceedings in Seychelles anti-corruption case appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.