Rs 30 Billion Oil Contracts Awarded by STC: Kareena Neisius Collapses After Nine Hours of Interrogation
On Monday, Kareena Neisius, director of Mercantile & Maritime Group, was confronted with incriminating evidence during an investigation by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) regarding possible irregularities surrounding Rs 30 billion oil contracts awarded by the State Trading Corporation (STC) to her firm.
Kareena Neisius was taken out of the FCC premises on a stretcher on April 28, 2025, shortly after 8 PM. After being detained, she had to be transported to Victoria Hospital in Candos by an ambulance after collapsing during a nine-hour interrogation.
This marks the first arrest in the FCC investigation into potential irregularities and conflicts of interest related to the awarding of Rs 30 billion contracts by STC to MMG for the supply of petroleum products for the 2023-24 period. Investigators are trying to determine potential connections between Kareena Neisius and the former STC director, Rajiv Servansingh, concerning the awarding of contracts for importing gasoline, diesel, and Jet A1 fuel for the Mauritian market from August 2023 to July 2024.
During her hearing, the MMG director was presented with documents seized by the FCC during a raid at the company’s headquarters on April 9. Faced with what were deemed "incriminating" evidence, her responses did not clarify the murky details surrounding the contract acquisition. The FCC had considered placing her in police custody as early as Monday night.
A specific aspect of the case that has caught the investigators' attention is the method of payment between STC and MMG. Although it was agreed that transactions would be conducted in Mauritian rupees, investigators suspect that STC made transfers for MMG to a commercial bank, which then converted the funds into foreign currency. A money trail will soon be initiated.
Kareena Neisius’s arrest comes five days after Rajiv Servansingh was summoned to the FCC's headquarters on April 24, 2025. He had been invited to grant permission for the Forensic Department of the commission to analyze his computer equipment, which had been seized during a search at his home two days earlier.
The investigation, opened in late January, followed a letter from the current Minister of Commerce, Michael Sik Yuen, requesting an investigation into the relationship between STC and MMG. Since then, several STC officials have been questioned regarding technical aspects related to the contract. In February, the FCC even conducted a raid at STC’s premises and seized documents.
The FCC is primarily looking to determine if there was collusion between Rajiv Servansingh and STC to favor MMG's business interests. In 2023, during a tender for importing fuels, seven companies expressed interest. However, the process was later abandoned, with MMG ultimately being selected.
At the time, Rajiv Servansingh and Dorine Chukowry, former Minister of Commerce under the government of Pravind Jugnauth, justified this decision by stating that MMG would save the country money in dollars by accepting payments in Mauritian rupees. However, despite this commitment, pump prices in the local market remained unchanged for several months.
