Compensation Ten Years After the Incident - Illegal Arrest: Rajiv Kumar Beeharry Awarded Rs 225,000

Ten years after his illegal arrest, former CEO of the MPCB, Rajiv Kumar Beeharry, has been awarded Rs 225,000 in compensation from the state. This compensation resolves the lawsuit he initiated in 2017, seeking Rs 50 million in damages.

He had described his arrest on July 8, 2015, as arbitrary and illegal. Rajiv Kumar Beeharry, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Mauritius Post and Cooperative Bank (MPCB), received the compensation on September 24, 2025, from the Supreme Court. This followed an agreement reached between him, the police commissioner, the state, and former Deputy Police Commissioner Heman Jangi, effectively ending the lawsuit he filed in July 2017 for Rs 50 million in damages.

In his complaint, drafted by attorney Me Hiren Jankee, Rajiv Kumar Beeharry recounted the ordeal he faced after the fall of Navin Ramgoolam, the current Prime Minister, during the December 2014 elections. He was dismissed shortly afterward, after over eight years at the helm of the institution.

On July 8, 2015, he was arrested by the police. Rajiv Kumar Beeharry claims he was forced to spend two nights in a cell at the Vallée-Pitot police station before being released on bail on July 10, 2015. This was after he provided two sureties: one of Rs 50,000 in cash and another amounting to Rs 500,000. Additionally, he was required to sign a debt commitment of Rs 10 million, surrender his passport to the authorities, provide his phone number to the police, and remain available at all times. He was also prohibited from contacting witnesses.

On that same day, he appeared provisionally before the Port Louis court for conspiracy regarding non-compliance with certain directives issued by the Bank of Mauritius (BoM).

Provisional Charges Dismissed

Despite multiple court appearances, no formal charges were ever filed against him. On September 29, 2016, a representative from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) informed the Port Louis court that the police investigation was complex. He stated that the investigation was far from complete and that the police could not determine how long it would take. In light of this situation, the Port Louis court granted Rajiv Kumar Beeharry's motion to dismiss the provisional charge against him.

Personal and Professional Consequences

Rajiv Kumar Beeharry emphasizes that this episode has profoundly affected him. He denounces what he sees as a baseless arrest, conducted, in his view, with "manifest bad faith" by law enforcement, under direct orders from former Deputy Police Commissioner Heman Jangi, then head of the Central Criminal Investigation Department (CCID). He asserts that his constitutional rights were violated and that this widely reported case has tarnished his reputation both nationally and internationally.

Furthermore, he provided an overview of his professional background in his complaint. He worked as a Junior Stockbroker at Gruntal & Co on Wall Street from 1992 to 1993, served as Senior Manager at De Chazal Du Mée, and was Chief Executive Officer of the State Investment Corporation. He has sat on the boards of several companies, including Air Mauritius, Hilton Mauritius Ltd, and Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd, among others.

"This arrest has compromised any prospects of securing a senior position in the banking or financial sector, both in Mauritius and abroad," he lamented in his complaint, despite his professional background. He also mentioned the psychological and moral impact of this case, as well as the significant financial losses that ensued.

In his complaint, Rajiv Kumar Beeharry held the state directly responsible as the "principal" of the actions of the involved police officers, considered his "agents." He argued that the state is thus legally responsible for what he terms a "fault" leading to his injury.

Thus, on June 2, 2017, he served a formal notice to the police commissioner, the state, and former Deputy Police Commissioner Heman Jangi, jointly claiming Rs 50 million. The lack of response from them led Rajiv Kumar Beeharry to seek justice for damages, asking for Rs 50 million for the harm suffered.

On September 24, 2025, before Judge Denis Mootoo, Me Ashwina Jalloo, Principal State Counsel representing the defendants (the CP, the state, and former DCP Heman Jangi), made an offer of Rs 225,000 to Rajiv Kumar Beeharry. He accepted the offer through his lawyer, Me Robin Ramburn, Senior Counsel, and Judge Denis Mootoo finalized the agreement in a judgment.