Blog: Medpoint allegations - Confessions of Dr Joomaye and former Minister Soodhun

To a reasonable person, the possibility of a conspiracy between the trio Bérenger, Joomaye and Soodhun may be a real one in an attempt to discredit PM Ramgoolam, a possibility which the Police will also undoubtedly probe.

Since Dr Zouberr Joomaye has confessed that he is the one who told Paul Bérenger, leader of the Opposition, that former Minister Showkutally Soodhum had, in turn, told him (Joomaye) that it was PM Dr Navin Ramgoolam who, in the MedPoint scandal being investigated for corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PoCA) by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), after meeting with Dr Kirshan Malhotra (majority shareholder in MedPoint Ltd), had telephoned and given instructions to Yodhun Bissessur, the No.1 at the government Valuation Office in the Ministry of Finance then falling under Pravind Jugnauth, Minister of Finance, to carry out a second valuation of MedPoint which turned out to be Rs144.7m (which payment was authorised by Pravind Jugnauth and paid to his relative owners of MedPoint), from an original valuation of Rs75m by the No.2 of the Valuation Office a few weeks earlier, the burden is on Dr Joomaye to prove the veracity of his information.  Similarly, S Soodhun, who also confessed having given Dr Joomaye that information, will have to prove the same.

People should be reminded that when Paul Bérenger called a press conference on 9th July 2011 to inform the public about PM Ramgoolam’s involvement in the MedPoint scandal, he had alleged that it was « de sources ministérielles ».  At first, independent polls showed that people did believe Bérenger, but this belief was soon shattered after what ensued.  When ICAC took an interest in his serious allegations and sent its investigators to his home, Bérenger, in the presence of his lawyer, changed his story and alleged that his information was from a professional source which had said that it came from a ministerial source, « au singulier », he clarified.  However, he refused to reveal the identities of those ‘professional’ and ‘ministerial’ sources.  ICAC had to summon him « under warning » before he revealed the names of Dr Joomaye and S Soodhun.  Any reasonable person would be very suspicious of Bérenger’s political motives for having made such serious hearsay accusations against the PM Ramgoolam, especially given that Dr Joomaye, apart from hearsay, never provided him with any proof to sustain the allegations against Ramgoolam.

PM Ramgoolam, who, like Yodhun Bissessur and Dr Krishan Malhotra (through his representative as he is overseas) denied the allegations of Paul Bérenger lock, stock and barrel, was therefore in his right to refer the matter to the Police for the « diffusion of false news » and for « criminal defamation ».  In his defence, can Paul Bérenger claim justification for relying on the mere hearsay of Dr Joomaye?  If this is allowed, everyone would be entitled to formulate any sort of accusation and then say someone else told him about it.  Since Dr Joomaye confessed, can he, in turn, claim justification by relying on the hearsay of former Minister Showkutally Soodhun, who apparently did not speak to Bérenger about the sources (if any) of his information?  Since Soodhun also confessed, does he possess any proof?  Again, to a reasonable person, the possibility of a conspiracy between the trio Bérenger, Joomaye and Soodhun may be a real one in an attempt to discredit PM Ramgoolam, a possibility which the Police will also undoubtedly probe.

The Police merely have to establish a prima facie case, and the DPP will then decide whether the proof, or absence of proof in making such damning allegations against PM Ramgoolam in the MedPoint corruption affair, will have a reasonable chance of securing a conviction.  Only a court of law can establish guilt.  If this case goes to court, it would be most interesting to read the deliberations of the Judge before he (or she) arrives at his conclusions.