Nouvelle étape dans le bras de fer opposant le ministre des Affaires étrangères Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo et la State Bank of Mauritius. L’institution bancaire a répondu à la mise en demeure que lui avait fait servir le ministre le 16 mai dernier. Dans cette mise en demeure, le ministre réclamait, par écrit, le nom de la personne qui est à l’origine de la fuite d’informations concernant l’emprunt qu’il a contracté en euros auprès de la SBM.

L’avoué de l'institution bancaire, se référant au document que lui a adressé son confrère, fait remarquer que la SBM ne conteste pas les deux premières clauses de la mise en demeure, à savoir que le ministre est bel et bien client de la banque depuis plus de trente ans, notamment du département de Private Banking.

Ces clauses sont les suivantes :

1. Honourable Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, also known as Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Abovenamed Party’), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International trade, has been a client of the State Bank of Mauritius Limited (hereinafter referred to as ‘The Hereundernamed Party’) for more than 30 years. 
2. The Abovenamed Party is also a customer of the Private Banking Department of the Hereundernamed Party.

Par contre, la Banque, toujours par l’entremise de son avoué, explique qu’elle ne reconnaît pas les faits que lui reproche le ministre dans les articles 3 à 12. La banque estime que «ces accusations sont infondées et injustifiées» et se réserve le droit de prendre des actions en conséquence.

Ces clauses que la Banque récuse sont les suivants :

3. Some two to three months ago, an officer or officers of the Hereundernamed Party who is/are also the preposes of the Hereundernamed Party, leaked to press and to the public at large, the banking transaction of the Abovenamed Party concerning the terms and conditions of a loan of Euros 1.1 Million contracted by the by The Abovenamed Party with the Hereunder Party. The said loan was subsequently reduced to Euros 400,000.

4. As “commettant”, the Hereundernamed Party is bound by the acts and doings of his ‘preposes”.

5. The leakage of information about the Abovenamed Party’s said banking transaction was made negligently and/or imprudently and/or purposely and/or wilfully in order to cause immense and irreparable prejudice to Abovenamed Party, who, at the material time was the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and who presently occupies the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade.

6. The Abovenamed Party verily believes that the above leakage of information about his aforesaid banking transaction forms part of a ploy and plot to destabilize and to destroy him politically.

7. As a result of the said leakage, the Abovenamed Party has had:

i) to face the adverse publicity in relation to the said leakage;

ii) to face the cumbersome enquiry from the Independent Commission Against Corruption where he underwent gruelling questioning;

8. The Abovenamed Party notes with concern that, as at date, more than three months since the said leakage of information about this aforesaid banking transaction, the Hereundernamed Party:-

i) has, after announcing that it would appoint a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Mauritius to carry out an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the said leakage, stated in the press that it would not press with any such appointment, and

ii) has failed to establish the identity of its officer/officers guilty of the said leakage which is a major offence under Section 68 of the Bank of Mauritius Act, that carries, if proved, a fine not exceeding Rs 200,000 and a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 years.

9. To all intents and purposes, the aforesaid leakage amounts to a breach of confidentiality of the banking transaction regarding the Abovenamed Party.

10. The Abovenamed Party notes with great concern that, following the Aforesaid leakage on his banking transaction, the image of the Hereundernamed Party has been deeply and adversely affected as reflected by the collapse of its share price on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius.

11. The Hereundernamed Party appears to be reluctant to inquire into and find out who caused the said leakage.

12. The aforeseaid acts and doings of the Hereundernamed Party and on the part of its preposes amount to ‘faute’ vis-à-vis the Abovenamed Party.