FCC Investigation into Money Laundering: Wendip Appaya Appears in Court

Businessman Wendip Appaya appeared before the Port Louis court on Thursday, September 4, in the early afternoon. He was arrested the day before by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering. A provisional charge of money laundering under Articles 3 and 36 of the FIAMLA and the FCC Act will be brought against him.

According to the FCC, Wendip Appaya is alleged to have acquired several high-end vehicles between January 2020 and March 2025. These transactions are valued at Rs 79 million. Among the seized cars are a McLaren Artura, estimated at Rs 12 million, a BMW M8 of the same value, and a Rs 9 million Range Rover SUV. All of them bore personalized license plates: WA8, W8, and WW8.

The FCC believes that the funding for these vehicles may have originated, in whole or in part, from "proceeds of crime." An exercise to trace the money flow has revealed suspicious financial transactions leading to these acquisitions.