Revocation of Claire Le Lay: What Happened at the MTPA?
Claire Le Lay was dismissed from her position as Chair of the Board of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) on Tuesday. According to our sources, the Minister of Tourism, Richard Duval, exercised his authority to terminate her contract.
While the Ministry of Tourism claims that Richard Duval was dissatisfied with the management of the organization, other sources suggest that this decision is more closely linked to a recent news article. This article reported on the Ministry of Finance's refusal to authorize the travel of Claire Le Lay and the MTPA director to London for the latest edition of the World Travel Market.
The two officials allegedly did not adhere to the Ministry of Finance's regulations regarding foreign travel for the heads and executives of parastatal organizations.
When contacted this afternoon, Minister Richard Duval was unavailable due to parliamentary sessions.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the relationship between the Minister of Tourism and the MTPA has never been smooth. Aside from Claire Le Lay, three other directors, including Jocelyn Kwok from the Mauritius Hotel and Restaurant Association, also had their contracts terminated.
Further information suggests that a meeting of the MTPA Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday following Minister Richard Duval's decision. He reportedly exercised his authority to revoke Claire Le Lay's position after the publication of the aforementioned news article.
On October 15, the MTPA submitted a request to the Ministry of Finance for authorization for its interim chair and director general to travel to London for the World Travel Market. However, the request did not specify the departure or return dates.
When asked to provide these details, the MTPA later stated that the two officials would be traveling in business class due to a lack of available seats in economy on Air Mauritius.
According to the Ministry of Finance's regulations, business class travel is reserved exclusively for permanent secretaries and the heads or CEOs of parastatal organizations whose salaries align with those of a permanent secretary— which was not the case for them.
This was not the first time the chair and director of the MTPA sought such privileges. In the past, they had traveled in business class, claiming a lack of seats in economy. Despite repeated reminders from the Ministry of Finance, they never reimbursed the difference between the two fares.
Marc Pierre
