Cehl Meeah confirmed his wish to remain in Saudi Arabia despite doubts expressed by the government over whether he will obtain political asylum there. His lawyer, Raouf Gulbul, asserts that it would not be ?illogical to say that the request has been accepted?. In any case, Cehl Meeah said he would not come back to Mauritius to be questioned by the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) despite the attorney general?s assurance that his rights would be respected.

Rama Valayden met Raouf Gulbul last week to tell him that the questioning of his client would be done in a room equipped with a video camera to make sure he is not the victim of moral or physical torture. But the leader of the Front de Solidarité Mauricienne (FSM) simply refused to be questioned by SP Prem Raddhoa.

In a letter sent to his lawyer and to the attorney general, he stated: ?I refuse to be questioned by a team that savagely beat me from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm with premeditation, rage and violence causing three broken ribs.? He added that, if the prime minister wants to bring real change in the country, he should ?start by the MCIT and all its cases of police brutality?.

<B>No religious freedom</B>

His lawyer insisted that the government had to decide what to do to solve a problem that could tarnish the country?s reputation. Indeed, Raouf Gulbul said that Cehl Meeah?s request for political asylum was based on the fact that Mauritius does not respect human rights. But Rama Valayden has misgivings as to this version, as he has information that Cehl Meeah said he was not free to practise his religion in Mauritius. ?I wrote to Cehl Meeah to ask him if he really told Saudi Arabian authorities that there was no religious freedom in Mauritius. I have not received any reply so far as he must know he is on shaky ground. Saudi Arabia knows the importance of religion in Mauritius. Let?s wait and see. I am convinced that Cehl Meeah will be kind enough to inform me of the reasons he gave the authorities when asking for political asylum,? he commented in an interview to l?express.

The attorney general added that there was no question of removing SP Raddhoa from the investigation. The government has committed to respect Cehl Meeah?s rights but he cannot decide who will lead the investigation. ?We can?t let Cehl Meeah dictate the way he wants things to be done (?),? he explained.

But if there was no other way than extradition to force Cehl Meeah to come back to Mauritius for questioning over the hold-up in a jeweller?s shop and the car in which dangerous objects were found in Petrin ? the car is said to have been rented by Cehl Meeah ? would the Mauritian authorities go ahead? Even though there is no certainty, the government does not look ready to start such a process.

The fact that one of the suspects in the hold-up completely changed his version concerning the hold-up, saying that he was beaten and tortured to make him say that Cehl Meeah was part of the plot, may be one of the reasons why the government appears reluctant? As Rama Valayden puts it, ?Let?s wait and see!?