Kareena Neisius's phone data led FCC to former ministers Padayachy and Callichurn in MMG contract probe
via Le Mauricien5 min read
The Financial Crimes Commission FCC investigation into the nearly Rs 30 billion oil contract awarded to Maritime & Mercantile Group MMG reportedly made a significant breakthrough by examining the mobile phone of Kareena Neisius, MMG's local representative. Data extracted from her phone, including messages, calls, and communication timelines, allowed the FCC's forensic department to reconstruct exchanges leading up to the contract's award. This digital analysis shifted the investigation's focus from administrative procedures to potential relationships between MMG's representative and individuals involved in the decision-making process. Investigators are now probing whether sensitive information related to the tender circulated outside official channels and if certain actors received privileged information before the State Trading Corporation's final decision. The inquiry also examines the circumstances surrounding the exclusion of other bidders and exchanges during pre-contract negotiations. Neisius has been questioned multiple times, with her statements compared against phone data and other protagonists' declarations. Inconsistencies reportedly led to broader checks. Former Finance Minister Renganaden Padayachy and former Commerce Minister Soodesh Callichurn were subsequently summoned, questioned under warning, and arrested on a provisional charge of "public official using office for gratification for another person." The FCC views these arrests as a new phase, with investiga
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Mauricien.
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