The government of Mauritius has asked Interpol to issue Red Notices for nine former bosses of the collapsed Silver Bank Ltd, who fled the country between January 2023 and February 2025. Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam informed Parliament that the Financial Crimes Commission, working with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the police, is seeking international arrest warrants. The group includes eight foreign nationals and one Mauritian, comprising the bank's ultimate owners Prateek Gupta, Ginni Gupta, and Purushotam Menon, former chief executive Vasil Revishvili, interim CEO Alexander Bello, and Sheikha Koodooruth, the only Mauritian.
The collapse of Silver Bank Ltd is linked to an alleged Rs 7 billion toxic loans scandal. The nine individuals are accused of being involved in the scandal, and provisional charges will be filed against them in absentia. The government has sent requests for legal assistance to the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Seychelles, and South Africa, with replies pending. A Red Notice asks police abroad to find and hold someone, but does not guarantee an arrest. The success of the effort now rests with the four foreign governments.
In a separate development, the Mauritian government is setting up a new state company, National Health Infrastructure Ltd, to manage every public health building in the country. The company will build, renovate, and maintain public health sites and their medical equipment. The remit includes five regional hospitals, six specialized hospitals, two district and two community hospitals, 12 Mediclinics, and 105 health centers. The government has not disclosed the cost, staffing, or start date of the new company.
A violent incident occurred in Vacoas, where six masked men stormed a house and beat a 34-year-old man to death. The victim, Selven Iyempermal, died from hemorrhagic shock due to multiple injuries. The police have opened an inquiry, but no one has been arrested. In another case, a second mobile phone treated as lost in the 2020 murder of MSM agent Soopramanien Kistnen was found inside the police, logged as a cover rather than a phone.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Nishan Moheeputh was sentenced to a year in prison for his second conviction of indecent assault. He was led straight to a cell after the Intermediate Court handed down the sentence. In other news, a School Certificate pupil was caught wearing connected glasses during the chemistry practical exam. The Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) is investigating two shipments of cannabis said to total over a tonne, allegedly part of a Thailand-to-Mauritius drug line.
The African continent has seen significant developments, including Nigeria's Dangote Petroleum Refinery closing the largest initial public offering (IPO) in Africa's history. The sale pulled in money from investors across 120 countries, turning the continent's biggest refinery into a partly public venture. The fuel is meant to stay on the continent. Meanwhile, Africa's Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths, mostly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In global news, at least 68 people died when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain. The accident occurred near Urda, in Spain's Toledo province, and rescue teams searched the wreckage into the night. The death toll could still rise. In Israel, the 27 October election produced no clear winner, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's future uncertain. In Brazil, Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost the runoff to President Lula da Silva, has vanished amid reports he fled the country.
Key points
- Mauritius seeks Interpol's help to hunt nine fugitives linked to the Rs 7 billion collapse of Silver Bank Ltd.
- A new state company will manage every public health building in Mauritius.
- Dangote Petroleum Refinery closes Africa's biggest ever share sale.
