Blog: Intimidating the DPP

Le Mauricien of 16 April and Le Matinal of the same date reported that in a public address Paul Berenger has issued a warning to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) about the case of Pravind Jugnauth.

The report of Le Mauricien read as follows: M. Bérenger a rappelé qu’une charge provisoire pèse contre Pravind Jugnauth et s’est demandé “ce que vaut cette charge puisque l’ICAC est un outil politique”. Il a estimé que l’enquête sera bientôt terminée et sera remise au DPP. “Nous suivons de près ce que dit et fait le DPP ces jours-ci. Il devra prendre ses responsabilités. Le Matinal had the following report: Tout en critiquant l’Icac, allant jusqu’à récuser les charges retenues contre Pravind Jugnauth, Paul Bérenger a lancé une mise en garde au Directeur des poursuites publiques. “Il devra assumer ses responsabilités si jamais il décide de loger des charges formelles et que plus tard la Cour décide autrement”.

On Wednesday 18 April both Paul Bérenger and Sir Anerood Jugnauth reiterated their intimidations against the DPP during their joint press conference at le Laboudonnais Hotel.

This is a very serious matter. Paul Berenger is threatening the DPP. He is intimidating the holder of a constitutional office and is attempting openly to influence him. This behavior blatantly offends against the Constitution. It is  more dramatic when it comes from a persons who are aspiring to be prime minister again. Should we be surprised? Certainly not! Paul Berenger along with Sir Anerood Jugnauth have undermined the office of the president by converting State House into a political forum and platform where the MMM/MSM alliance has been discussed and where Sir Anerood Jugnauth made his first political speech to announce his come back into politics.

Both Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Berenger have embarked on a crusade against ICAC and have qualified it as a political tool thus attacking the integrity of all those working at ICAC. Not one iota of evidence has been produced to prove that sweeping assertion. Both are just brainwashing the population into believing that ICAC is not an independent body but is at the beck and call of the politicians.

Now Paul Berenger is warning the DPP. Under the Constitution the DPP enjoys security of tenure. If he misbehaves there is a special procedure provided in the Constitution for his removal. He has no duty to give any reasons for his decisions to prosecute or not to prosecute though the present incumbent Mr. Satyajit Boolell is acting in a transparent manner.

We should remind the people here that when the then DPP, Mr. Hamuth, now a judge of the Supreme Court filed the case of murder against Cehl Meeah, Paul Berenger as Prime minister was the first one to welcome him to his office. He did not consider it appropriate then to warn the DPP or to ask him to give the public reasons for filing such a serious case. He was jubilating then because the decision suited his political agenda. When the then DPP, Mr. Angoh filed the murder case against the suspect, Bernard Maigrot in the Vanessa Lagesse murder Paul Berenger did not consider it necessary to warn Mr. Angoh or to ask him any explanations about the decision not to proceed with the case.

Paul Berenger along with his eternal ally is trying very hard to ensure that there is no prosecution against Pravin Jugnauth. In the case of Sir Gaetan Duval they were trying hard to ensure that Sir Gaetan was prosecuted in the hope that he would end up on the gallows like one Popol Myrtille. So Paul Berenger after attacking ICAC is now trying to intimidate the DPP. What could be expected from a man who has the case of Sheikh Hossen on his record and who shamelessly refused to apologise to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam whom he accused of murder?

Let that be another eye opener to the population. Under a MMM/MSM regime the institutions run a great risk of being manipulated by Paul Berenger, Sir Anerood Jugnautrh and Pravind Jugnauth. If they have a weighted majority of three quarters they can even place important institutions like the office of the president, the DPP, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of Audit or even the judiciary under their control. Do we need such persons as Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Berenger at the helm of the country?