[Bramer Bank Case] Chandra Prakashsing Dip Expected to Appear on February 11

The massive fraud case that shook the now-defunct Bramer Banking Corporation Limited in 2011 is entering a decisive phase. Chandra Prakashsing Dip, the son of former police commissioner Anil Kumar Dip, is expected to testify on February 11 before the Financial Crimes Division of the Intermediate Court as part of the Pre-Sentencing Hearing.

The trial, presided over by Magistrate Abdool Rahim Tajoodeen, involves the laundering of Rs 25 million, stemming from an overall embezzlement estimated at Rs 80 million, under sections 3, 6, and 8 of the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act (FIAMLA) 2002. Chandra Prakashsing Dip is appearing alongside Darmendra Mulloo, Sheik Mohammed Khadafi Jany, and Muhammad Saif Ullah Maulaboksh, all of whom pleaded guilty in April 2025. However, attention will be focused on the role attributed to Chandra Prakashsing Dip as the crucial phase preceding sentencing begins. The Pre-Sentencing Hearing allows defendants to present mitigating factors before the sentence is imposed.

Disputes Over Amounts Attributed to Chandra Prakashsing Dip

According to the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), nearly Rs 8 million from the fraud allegedly ended up in Chandra Dip's hands. This claim is strongly contested by his lawyer, Me Shailesh Seebaruth, who argued in a previous hearing that only part of these funds could be directly traced back to his client.

The defense has produced several documents to support this position, including a cheque receipt for Rs 500,000 used to purchase a vehicle in the name of Yunus Kotoaroo's wife, a former executive of Bramer Banking Corporation also being prosecuted in this case, but in a separate trial. Me Seebaruth asserts that other beneficiaries may have also benefited from the embezzled funds. It was also indicated that Yeschem Co Ltd, owned by Chandra Dip's mother, received approximately Rs 3.5 million, more than two-thirds of which was later redistributed by cheque to other parties.

It is worth noting that in December 2023, Chandra Prakashsing was granted a presidential pardon; his one-year prison sentence imposed in 2018 for another fraud case involving Diadeis Maurice was commuted to a fine of Rs 100,000 while his father served as police commissioner under the government of Pravind Jugnauth. Furthermore, the Court was informed that Chandra Dip had obtained court permissions multiple times to travel to Dubai in 2023 and 2024.