Air Mauritius board refers 'tainted' Airbus deals under Sattar Hajee Abdoula to Financial Crimes Commission and police
via Le Mauricien3 min read
Air Mauritius's board has decided to refer transactions involving Airbus aircraft, conducted under the voluntary administration of Sattar Hajee Abdoula between 2020 and 2023, to the Financial Crimes Commission and the police for investigation. This decision follows the findings of a forensic investigation report by Kroll, which the board reviewed in two meetings within a week. The report deemed these deals "tainted." The board also plans to pursue civil remedies and disciplinary actions to protect the company's interests. The Kroll report focuses on three sensitive areas during Abdoula's administration: the sale of five aircraft two Airbus A340-300s, two Airbus A319-100s, and one Airbus A330-200 in 2020-2021, the lease of two Airbus A330-200s in 2022, and the order for an additional Airbus A350-900 in 2023. Air Mauritius stated that the board views the report's findings "with utmost seriousness." Previous parliamentary discussions by Navin Ramgoolam in June 2021 highlighted losses from the sale of two A319-100s Rs 338,100,000 and an A330-200 Rs 637,000,000 in November 2021. Additionally, an agreement for cannibalizing two A340-300s, initially expected to yield Rs 220,500,000 from spare parts sales, was reduced to Rs 151,900,000, with Air Mauritius ultimately receiving only Rs 83,300,000.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Mauricien.
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