Will an LDS government amend the law to judge James Michel?
This is the question that many people are now asking. Despilly Williams prompted this debate when he made a public announcement during the LDS party convention on 6th September at the ICCS. Despilly stated that James Michel had asked him, during a telephoneconversation, to convey the message to the party convention. Allegedly, James Michel wants it known that he is now supporting Wavel Ramkalawan to be the next President of Seychelles, (100%). This revelation shocked the nation to the core and both the leader of the LDS, Roger Mancienne (aka Crocodile) and James Michel, went into damage control mode. However, Wavel Ramkalawan welcomed the announcement by saying that Michel is a registered voter and a citizen of Seychelles who is free to choose how he wants to vote. And that the LDS is advocating that Seychelles has a place for all its children.
But, James Michel is not just any ordinary citizen. He has served as the President of the Republic for twelve long years; since July 2004 to 16 October 2016. This newspaper has been inundated with evidence of corrupt and fraudulent practices being rife during his twelve-year reign since the announcement was made. These information were allegedly known and available to both the US and the LDS. However, both parties were keeping it quiet because of the patronage that they had been enjoying from James Michel’s billionaire Middle Eastern friends. This newspaper is probably the only media outlet that can put these allegations out in the public domain to be able to establish through public opinions whether or not James Michel deserves the protection of both US and LDS.
We will start with the last unethical transaction by James Michel, which got the total cooperation of the US party and the LDS. This is the sale of the Espace Building to Ramu Pillay –finalized in August 2020. This matter has been a controversial issue from start to finish. The LDS (15/10) controlled National Assembly has spoken about its illegalities and unethical process for the first two years of their four year term in the National Assembly. However, in 2019 they went totally silent on all things James Michel. They failed to call him before the FPAC to answer questions on many allegations of misappropriation of public funds and government assets during his reign. Even, when Brigadier Leopold Payet; who was the Chief of the Seychelles Defence Forces, had said in public that he was ordered by State House to cash cheques in hundreds of thousands of dollars, on several occasions, which he delivered to State House in brown envelopes, the LDS opposition did absolutely nothing to make James Michel and his government accountable and transparent. The LDS majority in the National Assembly has totally failed to follow the money trail and to call James Michel to task. Instead, they have abdicated their responsibility and duty to the people of Seychelles, who trusted them and gave them the huge majority in the National Assembly.
They have, time and time again, let the people of this country down and we see no reason whythey would not do the same thing again if Wavel Ramkalawan is elected President in October. We know that the JJ Foundation was given a gift of USD6M in order to provide a favour for a Middle Eastern country. Where did that money go? JJ Spirit took a huge loan from NOUVOBANQ for the construction of the ESPACE building. So where is all the money they received for selling Seychelles passport to partially finance the construction and the USD6m?
There are allegations that James Michel sold several passports for USD500, 000 apiece to raise money for the construction of the Espace Building. This newspaper have details of these transactions, which will be made public at the appropriate time. The question that Roger Mancienne, Wavel Ramkalawan and Ahmed Afif have to answer before the October presidential election is, will an LDS led government follow through with their promises made a few years ago to amend the law to allow James Michel to face justice before a court of law for his crimes against the people of Seychelles?
