Solicitors are no longer the only ones in the pipeline of Harish Boodhoo. A former member of the Land Fraud Squad is in the limelight after one of the sale by levy victims accused him of conflict of interest. Suress Bhojraz has stated to the police that Krishnalall Gobin recorded his statement while buying his house at the same time. An enquiry has been opened after Harish Boodhoo sent a letter to the police and the acting prime minister to explain the case. The policeman was recently transferred to another police department.

According to Harish Boodhoo, the policeman bought the house from an illegal broker who had lent money to Suress Bhojraz in November 2004. The house is said to have been sold for Rs 550,000 while its market value was Rs 2 million.

Even though the policeman has acknowledged he is the owner of that house, he denied any allegations of conflict of interests, as he asserted he was not the one who took the victim?s statement. ?Like any other citizen, I have the right to buy someone?s house. There is no conflict of interests because I was not working on the enquiry against this illegal broker. It is a lie that I was the one who took the statement. I have done nothing illegal,? claimed the investigator. For the latter, the only reason for the plaintiff to make such accusations is that he wants to take revenge, as he was recently requested to move out of his house. ?This is why he wants to tarnish my reputation,? he said.

He even recognised that he promised Suress Bhojraz to help him financially. In his letter, Harish Boodhoo explains: ?He even proposed to buy a plot of land in Rivière-du-Rempart. But the papers were fake.? As for the policeman, he wonders: ?What is wrong with trying to help someone??

<B>Financial help</B>

But for Suress Bhojraz, the facts are different. In March 2001, his house was mortgaged after he made a deal with a broker to borrow Rs 700,000. However, he only obtained Rs 210,000 despite promises he would receive the rest some time later. But he finally got only Rs 153,000 after he had paid notary fees.

In spite of this, Suress Bhojraz said he wanted to pay back the Rs 153,000 a year later to the broker and even went to the notary with the broker?s employee to take the prescription away from his land. ?But nothing was done,? he asserts.

So, when he realised in September 2003 that he had been wronged by the illegal broker, he went to the police to make a first statement and he remembers that he made it to Krishnalall Gobin. As the latter lives in the same region as the alleged victim, he recognised him. Two other statements were made to the police between September 2003 and 2004 but the case did not move forward, according to the ?victim?.

In March 2004, the illegal broker allegedly bought the ?victim?s? house for Rs450,000. After he realised that the case was at a standstill, he went to the Independent Commission against Corruption as a last resort and this is where he learnt that the policeman had bought his house. And that he was trying to make him vacate the premises?