The government exults while the opposition fulminates. After the cabinet examined the report of the Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) on Business Parks Mauritius Ltd (BPML), it decided to set up a ministerial committee to study the report in-depth. The FFC was set up after several allegations against BPML, the promoter of Ebène cyber city. The minister of Information and communication technologies (ICT), Etienne Sinatambou, said the report was “damning” for the previous government.

The ministerial committee, composed of the ICT minister, the minister of Local and regional government, James Burty-David, the minister of Labour, Vasant Bunwaree, and the attorney general, Rama Valayden – has been assigned the task of studying and implementing the recommendations of the FFC.

The four lines of enquiry of the FFC were: the lease of the lands in Ebène cyber city, Rose-Belle business park, the housing project of the cyber village and the finances of BPML and its subsidiary, Cyber Properties Investment Ltd. It seems, according to the report, that the four have been subject to mismanagement.

The FFC does not understand how land at the cyber city could be allocated for “ridiculous prices”. Likewise, the cyber village was supposed to be the last step of development but the Jeux des Iles de l’ Océan Indian turned the plans upside down, which brought in a high level of indebtedness. The Rose Belle Business Park is another cause for concern as it was built before the cyber city of Ebène had really proved efficient and dynamic.

“So far Rs 540 million – Rs 150 million more than expected – have been disbursed for this inexplicable extravagance. And, with the maintenance works and other services, it is not finished yet”, revealed the ICT minister at a press conference on Saturday.

On the other hand, the opposition – the then government – considers that the move is only a way of winning political points. “The FFC is just a joke. No operator would have shown interest in the cyber city if the rental fee was too high for the lease”, commented the then ICT minister, Pradeep Jeeha. Paul Bérenger, the then prime minister, said it was “revolting manipulation”. He “challenges the government to submit the case to the Independent Commission against Corruption”.

The FFC was actually set up last January after the government expressed its anxiety concerning the precarious financial situation of the company and its Rs 1.8 billion debt.