Contract Awards to Grant Thornton: An Air Mauritius Official Under Investigation by the FCC

An Officer-In-Charge at Air Mauritius is under scrutiny by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) for awarding contracts to Grant Thornton totaling Rs 287 million between 2020 and 2024. Irregularities in the verification and disbursement of payments have raised questions.

The FCC is investigating the role of an Air Mauritius Officer-In-Charge in the allocation of contracts to Grant Thornton, which includes a notable contract worth Rs 3.6 million for Advisory Services. The investigation has already resulted in the indictment of Grant Thornton's CEO, Sattar Hajee Abdoula, for money laundering, and could lead to further developments.

Preliminary findings by the FCC suggest that the official at Air Mauritius signed the contract without completing the necessary checks. Several individuals involved in the various stages of the contract awards are also being thoroughly examined to determine if they adhered to established standards.

Sattar Hajee Abdoula currently denies the accusations against him, claiming he only received half of the agreed amount for the services provided by his firm. However, investigators believe that Grant Thornton received payments even before completing its work for Air Mauritius.

The FCC emphasizes that the Officer-In-Charge should have conducted the required verifications before approving the contracts, particularly consulting the Air Mauritius Bidding Committee for the Advisory Services contract.

These transactions, partially conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown, raise questions about the selection of Grant Thornton. According to the commission, other reputable firms in the same sector were not approached. The claim of "Emergency Procurement" appears unjustified, as no urgent need was evident for these contracts.

Some testimonies have already been collected by investigators, indicating a need for a swift allocation of the contracts. However, no valid justification has been presented so far. The former Financial Secretary Dev Manraj, who has since passed away, was also reportedly involved, and investigators fear that the responsibility may be placed entirely on him.

Additionally, the circle around Sattar Hajee Abdoula is under investigation, particularly to clarify the exact source of the funds paid to Grant Thornton. The FCC states that these funds are not linked to any money laundering act, but the conditions under which they were paid remain unclear.