Former Bank of Mauritius governor awarded Rs 1 million in damages for arbitrary arrest
via Le Mauricien4 min read
Rundheersing Bheenick, former governor of the Bank of Mauritius, has been awarded Rs 1 million in damages following a Supreme Court judgment by Justice Iqbal Maghooa. The decision stems from his arrest and detention in 2014. Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Hemant Jangi was found by the court to have acted in "bad faith" and committed "gross negligence." The case originated in December 2014 when Bheenick was dismissed as governor. He requested 14 days to vacate his office and hand over duties, but received no response from State House. On December 28 and 29, 2014, Bheenick, with assistance from Bank of Mauritius staff, transferred documents to his home in Moka, intending to return them to his successor. On February 9, 2015, he returned some documents, and on February 12, 2015, he asked a bank executive, Ramtohul, to retrieve the remaining documents from his home. The same day, Bheenick learned that Ramtohul had filed a statement with the Central Crime Investigation Department CCID, alleging that the Bank of Mauritius believed Bheenick might have misappropriated documents. On February 13, 2015, the Central CID searched Bheenick's residence, seizing documents and foreign currency, and arrested him. Due to heart complications, he was hospitalized during his detention. On February 17, 2015, three provisional charges were filed against him, including larceny by a person on wages, money laundering, and possession of articles obtained by means of a crime. Despite ACP Jangi's obj
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