Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Conflict of Interest |
Sentence: |
12 months |
Years Imprisoned: |
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Year Crime: |
2010 |
Year Convicted: |
2015 |
Year Cleared: |
2016 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Mauritius |
County or Region of Crime: |
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City of Crime: |
Port Louis |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Pravind Kumar Jugnauth was wrongly convicted on June 30, 2015 of conflict of interest in Port Louis, Mauritius. Jugnauth was prosecuted based on the prosecution's argument that while serving as Mauritius' finance minister he was involved in a decision to reallocate 144.7 million rupees* of health ministry funds to acquire a private hospital, Medpoint, in which his sister had shares, and his brother-in-law was director of the hospital. After his conviction by a two judge panel in the Intermediate Court, who made it clear that Jugnauth was convicted of a conflict of interest and not corruption, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Jugnauth was finance minister from 2003 to 2005 and again from 2010 to 2011. At the time of his conviction Jugnauth was the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, which he resigned prior to his sentencing. On May 25, 2016 the Supreme Court of Mauritius overturned Jugnauth's conviction on the basis the prosecution failed to prove he had criminal intent. The Court's ruling stated: "It was highly questionable whether the appellant had the requisite guilty intent at the material time that he participated in a decision limited solely to a reallocation of the funds for payment to which Medpoint Clinic was already lawfully entitled, the more so when this was done at a time and in a situation where there was a total absence of any competing interests or conflict of interests.” The same day, after his conviction was quashed, Jugnauth was named finance minister of Mauritius. Pravind Jugnauth is the son of Mauritius' Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, who appointed him finance minister. (* One euro roughly equaled 39 rupees at the time of the transaction.)" |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On May 25, 2016 the Supreme Court of Mauritius overturned Jugnauth's conviction. The same day, after his conviction was quashed, Jugnauth was named finance minister of Mauritius." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
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Age When Released: |
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Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
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Information Source 1: |
"Mauritius PM picks son as finance minister after conviction quashed, By Correspondent (Port Louis, Mauritius), Today (Singapore), May 26, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.todayonline.com/world/mauritius-pm-picks-son-finance-minister-after-conviction-quashed |
Information Source 2: |
"Pravind Jugnauth found guilty of conflict of interests in the MedPoint case, By Staff, Indian Ocean Times, July 1, 2015" |
Information Location 2: |
http://en.indian-ocean-times.com/Pravind-Jugnauth-found-guilty-of-conflict-of-interests-in-the-MedPoint-case_a5796.html |
Information Source 3: |
"Mauritius former technology minister sentenced over conflict, By Staff, Reuters, July 2, 2015" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mauritius-politics-idUSKCN0PC1ZX20150702 |
Information Source 4: |
"Independent Commission Against Corruption v. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, 2015 INT 210, C. No. 265/2014 (Intermediate Ct of Mauritius (Criminal Division), 6-30-2015) (Written judgment of conviction.)" |
Information Location 4: |
http://www.lexpress.mu/sites/lexpress/files/attachments/article/2015/2015-06/2015-06-30/cour_intermediaire.pdf |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org