The Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) are trying to shed light on a delicate case. High ranking personalities ? lawyers, bankers, civil servants? and even a minister ? may have reasons for fear if the police manage to break the codes of the CD-ROMS seized at the bookmaker Joomun?s. The police are convinced that they are faced with a network of illegal credit betting on horseracing.

While the prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, claims it is only a ploy to destabilise the government, the police appear confident that this case could compromise important people at the top level of society as well as the institutions they represent. Police officers of the IT department have already started to decipher the data on the CD-ROMS but they are far from having the results they need for the enquiry to progress. Codes and viruses purposely inserted on the CDs are making the task of the police even more difficult. If they are not cautious when opening the CDs, they could lose all data, thus making the enquiry void.

Some of the CDs seized contain the names of illegal punters as well as the sums involved and telephone numbers. The investigators consider them as a Pandora?s box. However, they admit their work would have been easier if the bookmaker Joomun had given more details on the names and codes on the CDs. But, so far, the latter?s lawyer, Raouf Gulbul, has maintained that his client is ?innocent? and that the case is very sensitive.

The first conclusions of the enquiry tend to show that the sums involved in the bets are quite important ? between Rs 200,000 and Rs 300,000 for a single day of horse-racing ? and that the people involved in those bets are not supposed to be so well-off.

As for the phone numbers contained in the CDs, the police will ask for a court ruling to check these numbers. If they get it, their work should be easier. It may become really difficult for the people involved to deny the accusations while justifying the presence of their phone numbers on the bookmaker?s list.

As for the minister allegedly involved, the prime minister came to the forefront at the end of the week to try and tone down the reports, saying that they were aimed at weakening the government, which is already facing difficulties after the budget reforms and the price increases. Questioned by l?express, the minister said he did not understand how his name could appear on a better?s list, as he has never betted on anything.

The results of this enquiry ? if successful ? may have many consequences at the highest level of society. And everything could be done to try and prevent it from going ahead at different levels. The police will have to be very determined in order to achieve their objective.

<B>What makes a bet illegal? </B>

There are legal and illegal bets. All those carried out under the Gaming Act (involving horse-racing, football or national lottery) are supposed to be legal if ?bookmakers? have a licence and abide by the regulations. Credit betting like the alleged one at bookmaker Joomun?s is illegal. When a bet is made on a credit basis, neither the bookmaker nor the punter have to declare their revenue. This type of betting is often used as a means of tax evasion. If such an activity is unveiled, the Revenue Authority can take the case to court without any time limitation and both parties (the bookmaker and the punter) are liable. Illegal bets are so common in Mauritius that one can hardly say when a bet is legal or not. The statistics as to the number of such bets are unknown. This case appears to be one of illegal betting.The Mauritius Turf Club is waiting for the end of the enquiry to decide what steps they will take.