5TH APRIL 2023 SCR20

ISSN 1659-7397 Vol. 9 - Issue: 10

WHEN CATS AND RATS MAKE PEACE PUBLIC ASKING FOR A MASS PROTEST
IT COSTS 25 MILLION EUROS! AGAINST THE AMENDMENT TO THE
SOCIAL SECURITY ACT
- PAGE 4 - - PAGE 3 -

ABRACADABRA – THERE
GOES THE 50 MILLION
USD CHARGES! because ACCS did not have the powers
to enter into plea bargains. To date, we

WORD is out that ACCS with its team of
foreign “Expert Specialists” British
lawyers and investigators had to again
re-direct, re-strategize and re-cast the
charges in the case of the missing 50
million dollars. Hopefully, 3rd time will
be a charm!
Almost 16 months ago on the 17th
December 2021, amidst great fanfare
and publicity Mukesh Valabhji and 6
other high-profile persons including his
wife were arrested and out of the 6
persons Mukesh and 4 were charged
with the theft of 50 million USD given to
Seychelles by the UAE as a donation.
On the 6th May 2022, ACCS admitted
in court that it lacked the powers to
charge and prosecute the 6 Accused
persons and asked the Court to pause
the case to allow them to go to the
National Assembly to get more teeth to
bite and a smiling Basil Hoareau who
was initially representing the Valabhjis
but eventually moved on to represent
Ex Colonel Leslie Benoiton, Lekha Nair
and Ambassador Lousteau Lalande,
walked out of Court proclaiming – “ I
‘
Was the AG's office
correct when they
refused to touch this
case? Has the ACCS
bitten off more than it
can chew? How long
and how much more of
the taxpayers' money
will ACCS need to get
this case off the
ground?
hate to say this – but we told you so !”
Two weeks later fully armed with
the amended law which has become
known in the legal circle as the
“Retrospective AML Act”, ACCS
dropped charges against Nair and
Lousteau Lalande claiming that they
were turning state witnesses as they
have entered into an agreement with
ACCS but again ACCS was checkmate
when Lawyer Basil Hoareau informed
the court that was not quite the case
have not heard if the two have indeed
entered into any agreement of sorts to
be state witnesses.
Next came Col. Leslie Benoiton;
ACCS stated that they have decided to
drop charges against him and had
decided that it was best that his case
be transferred to the AG's office to
consider charging him together with
the Terrorist case... The bomb
dropped so to speak when all charges
were dropped against Mukesh's wife,
Laura, for ACCS had to admit that
they had no evidence whatsoever to
charge her with any offence... “but
they are keeping her under
investigation”. To date, the AG's
office has not brought any charge
against Leslie Benoiton and nor has
ACCS brought any charge against
Laura Valabhji.
So, from 6 accused ACCS dropped
to 2 with just Mukesh and Sara Rene,
the widow of the late President Rene
remaining in the infamous 50 Million
dollar case and charges against them
were amended and recast in May
2022.
Continued on page 2
2 5TH APRIL 2023
Abracadabra – There
goes the 50 million
USD charges!
Continued from page 1
The case was set to commence on the
12thof April 2023 as per verbatim
proceedings of the Court, however, we
have heard that on the eve of the trial
starting, ACCS has now filed a notice to
amend charges once again and a glance
at the proposed new charges reveals
that lo and behold all charges regarding
the 50 million have vanished save for
one of conspiracy between the late
Rene, Mukesh and unknown persons!
Apparently, there is a pile of bank
statements from the Baroda account
sitting somewhere in Court showing
exactly where each cent went to and
that there was actually no theft of the 50
million USD at all. We also understand
that what has prompted the third set of
charges is something to do with the
issue of the CJ being a member on the
board of the Central Bank as he may be
called as a witness and that is linked
with the application for recusal of CJ
Govinden in that case.
Along with the disappearance of the
charges in respect of the 50 million, the
original foreign investigators
comprising the trio of the Humphreys
brothers and Graig Gibson have also
vanished into thin air alongside the
Asset Reality company which was
supposed to have been paid to do an
inventory of all assets at the Valabhji's
house but according to Detective
Simeon, the Republic has not done an
inventory up to date. There are some
new blokes in town on the ACCS team
who has come to join Stephenson who
according to Detective Simeon was
the one who took the CCTV camera
system from the home of the
Valabhji's that has also disappeared
into thin air.
Along with all of these
disappearing acts happening, is the
disappearance of all those millions of
hard-earned taxpayers' money paid to
those 38 investigators, expert
specialists and Mrs. De Silva since
2017 when the complaint was first
made to ACCS.
Rumours are also floating around
that the disappearance of the ACCS
investigators may have something to
do with the Police investigation into
thefts at the Valabhji Residence,
which apparently recently prompted
a vision in purple to pay a visit to that
house to see what was left thereof.
One of Seychelles' wise men, Ton Joe,
smoking his cigar commented that he
believes that Houdini the magician
When cats and rats make
peace it costs 25 million
Euros!
B
ARELY two years
after getting an
118,000 dollar
grant from the
European Union and
the Organization of the
African Caribbean and
Pacific States under the
Biodiversity and
Protected Area
M a n a g e m e n t
(BIOPAMA), to fight
invasive species on
Aldabra atoll. The
Seychelles Islands Foundation is now
seeking for 25 million euros to eradicate
rats and cats on the world heritage
island. At the time (April 2021, SIF
claimed that through the grant it would
be able to implement strict biodiversity
procedures across all pathways and put
Caribbean Aldabra, 'in the best position
has moved from Mukesh's home and
taken up residence at ACCS with all
these disappearances happening
there. Ton Joe's take on that case is
that by the end of this year, we might
be hard-pressed to find a single
"Accused Person" standing charged in
this whole ACCS debacle and unless
we close the airport, all the Brits
would have packed up and gone home,
tired of getting a red face not just from
our tropical sun but from all these
embarrassments.
The questions on everyone's lips
now are – Was it wise of the LDS
Government to hand over the hot seat
of CEO of ACCS to someone trained to
be a teacher when the original
legislation provided for someone with
the qualification of a judge to hold that
post? How competent are the expert
specialist/legal team if after years of
investigation, they have had to change
the charges 3 times?
Was the AG's office correct when
they refused to touch this case? Has
the ACCS bitten off more than it can
chew? How long and how much more
of the taxpayers' money will ACCS
need to get this case off the ground?
Let's hope Ms. De Silva will grace
our screen soon to explain all of this to
the Seychellois nation.n
to improve its conservation status and
maintain the results of previous
eradication”.
Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is the
biggest threat to biodiversity on
islands such as Aldabra and their
ecosystem. In 2012, SIF was able to
conclude an extensive eradication of
Continued on page 3

When cats and rats Public asking for a mass protest
make peace it costs
25 million Euros! against the amendment to the
Continued from page 2
feral goats on Aldabra which also
involved soldiers killing the animals.
This project lasted over a decade. Rats
and cats were the two other species that
the foundation had identified as IAS
which were posing a danger to
Aldabra's fragile ecosystem.
It would appear that another aspect
of the extraordinary charm of Aldabra
that it is the place where cats and rats
make peace and join forces to pose a
threat to the environment! Last week
Hon Bernard Georges (Chairman) of
the SIF said that they were soliciting 25
million euros to eradicate cats and rats
from Aldabra. With the atoll having a
land area of 15,500 hectares that makes
it 16, 120 euros per hectare to eradicate
‘
the rodents and their feline friends!
It would appear that
another aspect of the
extraordinary charm of
Aldabra that it is the
place where cats and
rats make peace and
join forces to pose a
threat to the
environment!
This amount has raised eyebrows
and forced incredulous comments from
the public. The MNA from Les
Mamelles did not give much in the way
of explanation as to why they needed
such a large amount of money to
eradicate the cats and rats, maybe the
poison would be gold-plated to entice
the vermin to it. This left it wide to
speculation and jokes about possible
unethical spending of the money have
started to abound. The topic has gone
viral on social media and no amount of
belated explanations would now be able
to alleviate the suspicions which have
already taken root in the minds of the
citizens. Maybe Honorable Georges is
weak on mathematics and had got
himself entangled in the figures, be it as
it may someone is going to make a lot of
money poisoning cats and rats on
Aldabra, and it will not be a native
Seychellois.n
5TH APRIL 2023
Social Security Act
T
HE public is ready to
protest 'en masse'
against the decision to
push the qualification age for
S o c i a l S e c u ri t y O l d A g e
Pension to 65 years from 63. In
an exercise in which random
persons were asked what they
felt should be done about that
matter, over 70% said that
there should be a mass protest.
“We are being led by the nose like
animals by this government. It is
about time that we as a nation, put our
feet down and rein in the politicians.
They owe their existence as
politicians to us and yet we are the
ones who always have to plead and
beg with them. We must voice out and
in no uncertain terms about our anger
on this matter,” Richard, a 62- year
old electrician, said.
His opinion was echoed by others
with Marylina a waitress saying.
“It's time we took to the streets in
an orderly way but still making them
listen and take note…
Mid-year 2022, the Cabinet of
Ministers discussed and approved an
amendment to the Social Security Act
to change the retirement age for Old
Age Pension from 63 to 65 years. At
the time only this newspaper and the
Seychelles Labour Union raised the
alert about the matter. The political
parties, be it the ruling Linyon
Demokratik Seselwa, the main
opposition United Seychelles and the
other party receiving funds from the
state, kept mum. All attention
centered around the amendment to
the Seychelles Pension Fund Act
which had one of the exact same aims,
i.e. to raise the pensionable age for
SPF to 65 from 63 and also to increase
member contribution towards the
fund.
They ignored the writing on the
wall and failed to raise public
awareness about the coming second
affront to the workers. As such,
workers were not prepared for the
other face slap that the government
had prepared for those planning to
retire at the age of 63. In December
2022 the Statutory Instrument
announcing the changes was
3
Finance Minister Naadir Hassan
published in the Official Gazette. At
the time the National Assembly was
still deliberating over the 2023
budget. The MNAs had the
opportunity to raise the matter. Other
than a side remark by the Minister for
Finance that the Social Security
Pension would also be reviewed,
nothing much else was said about the
subject.
The MNAs were all looking
forward to the end of the year, so that
they could go into recess for a couple
of months, but most importantly, they
were anticipating their annual
compensation pay, which is a very
sizeable amount of money in itself.
The plight of those workers who
would be turning 63 years old in 2023
was the last thing on the minds of
politicians in December 2022, when
the SI was published.
Fast-forward to March 2023,
realizing that the 90-day period to
object to the SI was running out, the
Leader of the Opposition in the
National Assembly, Sebastien Pillay,
finally woke up from his slumber and
tabled an urgent motion, asking to
repeal the SI. With time running out,
the Speaker deferred debate on the
motion (despite it being flagged as
urgent). It was eventually tabled and
debated last week and to no one's
surprise, LDS used its overwhelming
majority to quash the motion.
In so doing the LDS MNAs sent a
very clear message to the electorate,
and that is that they are loyal to their
party and government first and
foremost and that the interest of their
constituencies pale in comparison to
their own.n
4 5TH APRIL 2023
Appeal for the 6-month
re-instatement of the La Buse
treasure contract
Hi everyone, please read
below attentively and see
the unfairness done to us.
It all started many years ago, when our
team of 4 Seychellois approached
MLUH for a contract to research for
the La Buse's treasure at Mare Aux
Cochons. Initially, a contract of 12
months was given to us for the
research.
Unfortunately, the initial contract
expired without any excavation being
done, due to us working full time and
could only get to the site on odd days
during weekends. The lack of evidence
to figure out what all the carvings and
signs meant, were also a contributing
factor, and that the site was very far up
in the rainforest, and it rained most of
the time we wanted to get to the site.
After the expiration of the first
contract, everything was put on hold,
due to work, personal commitments
and unforeseen circumstances, being
that my husband, had an accident
which resulted in his hospitalization
for 7 months, and 19 rods were
inserted in his back. Many months of
rehabilitation followed, which meant
that I had to stop work and cared for
him full time until he recovered, thus
relying on our savings to survive.
A few years passed and new
information about the treasure came
to hand, and the team obtained a new
contract and restarted the search.
However, when one of the extensions
was approved, it took 6 months of
going backwards and forwards, to
finally get it done and the Ministry
backdated it 6 months. This is the
reason for this appeal. During this
time people had been digging and
destroying the site. Some signs are
totally destroyed and are still being
destroy at the moment. Of course I got
blame for it as we were the ones with a
valid contract. One day a guy came to
site with his team and got very upset to
find me there with a note pad,
measuring the distances between the
signs in the cave and looking at all
the illegal digging that was done
while I we were not there. I told MOE
about that. The guy that saw me in
the cave contacted Environment.
Because I was mistaken on the date I
was on site, I was arrested and
locked up overnight in a cell. The fact
that I had every right to be there at
the time to dig did not matter. The
police refused to take evidence of our
contract and a miscommunication
between MLH to MOE was the
reason for the lack of information.
MOE claimed that they never got a
copy of the extension of the contract,
although the contract stated that it
was copied to them. A hefty sum to a
lawyer luckily freed me from
unlawfully going to prison for 6
years. I felt that my innocence would
not have mattered to those who
wanted me stopped.
During the research, we were
graced with a couple of short
extensions, but they were hindered
by rain and the fact that all our tools,
including the jackhammer and
accessories, got stolen a few times
and had to be replaced. It is to note
that we had to pay the workers
SR500 each per day, even if they did
not do any work, but came to the site.
Over RS500, 000 were spent by 2013
on the research, and this should also
be taken into consideration.
Upon completion of the final
extension, we had found the
entrance to the vault, but due to the
difficulty to get to and from the site,
rain and lack of funding and
workers, we ran out of time.
Unfortunately, we were flatly
refused any further extension and
was told that no further extensions
was to be given for the site. This in
itself was the first injustice done to
us.
During our research, every time
we went to the site, Environment
wanted to be kept updated on which
car we drove, its colour and number
plate, the names of the workers going
on site with us, the progress on our
work, etc., which we did via emails to
Dennis Matatiken. They knew
everything we were doing and
allowed us to continue until we found
the entrance to the vault, then
refused to allow us to continue.
Having no grounds to stand on
with the Government at the time, we
waited until a new Government
would come into power to try and
renegotiate. As the work was being
self-funded, we had to try and save
enough funds before approaching
the government. During the years
while we were waiting, we never
stopped having interests in the site
and had on many occasions tried to
get in contact with the Government
via different means to continue, but
to no avail.
As we were waiting, we teamed up
with a group of conservationists and
experts in pirates of the Indian
Ocean, under the name 'Ames Des
Pirates'. Our aim was the protection
of the treasure site which we felt that
the team could do on our behalf.
Ames Des Pirates contacted
various ministries in Government,
including Environment, Culture and
MLH, and discussed and agreed on
different projects with the
government. A Convention
Agreement was signed with the
Ministry of Culture in December
2019 to work on various projects in
Seychelles and this was published in
the local newspaper, in early 2020.
Over the years, numerous
communications and calls were
made with MOE and MLH by Ames
Des Pirates, to the point that
conference calls were organised and
after the call, it was agreed that a
concession be considered for the La
Buse site. A Concession Agreement
proposal was forwarded to Mr
Continued on page 5

Appeal for the 6-month
re-instatement of the
La Buse treasure contract
Continued from page 4
Lablache in June 2022 for
consideration and signature.
In October 2022, 4 members of
Ames Des Pirates came back to
Seychelles in the hope of finalising and
signing of the documents to proceed
with the retrieval of the treasure, only
to be told by the Mr Lablache that a
new contract has been promised to
another Seychellois and cannot be
given to us.
Since then I have been in constant
communications with both Mr Dennis
Matatiken from MOE and Mr Patrick
Lablache from MLH, via emails, texts
and phone calls and to date they are
still refusing to move on their decision.
Historic win for Woodland Holdings
in environmental pollution case in
Seychelles' Constitutional Court
W
oodlands Holdings, a private
company in Seychelles, and
its director as petitioners,
won an environmental pollution case
against the government in the
Constitutional Court last Thursday. The
first time in the history of Seychelles'
judicial system for such an outcome.
The matter will now be taken into
consideration by the Supreme Court for
the final determination on damages to
be paid.
The company, which owns about 10
parcels of land situated at Fairview
Estate, La Misère on Mahe, lodged a
civil suit in the Supreme Court raising
concerns about the effusions of waste
material polluting a river close to the
property owned by the Ministry of
Environment in September 2018.
The director of the company, the
second petitioner in the case challenged
the decision of the government of
Seychelles "in allowing a resident of
Fairview to conduct extensive farming
activities, in a residential area, to the
detriment of the health of other
residents. He avers that this in itself is a
serious flaw in the machinery of the
government which continues
unabated."
In her summary for the
5TH APRIL 2023
It is to note that the new person
getting the contract may have all our
information and will be continuing
from where we left off. I even met
with Minister Flavien Joubert of
MOE and showed him proof of our
findings, and he told me that I
should continue with my work and
that it is safe to do so, and yet even if I
gave that information to Mr
Lablache and Dennis Matatiken,
they still would not allow us to
continue.
This is so unfair and it seems that
no one wants to do anything about
this injustice and we are at a lost on
what to do. We are both retired and
do not have the means to fight this in
court.
We wrote 2 letters to the
President in confidence, requesting
that he looks into this injustice. Both
respondents, State Counsel Corrine
Rose submitted that "it is the
responsibility of the person causing
the pollution to take steps to clean it
up and restore the environment to its
prior condition before the pollution
occurred and at their own expense.
Although Counsel recognizes that the
Ministry is liable to take remedial
action where a person fails to do so,
she states that the onus is on the
person responsible for the pollution
5
letters were answered by Mr
Lablache, and I got the same reply
that they are considering a new
person for the contract and that I
should wait until he is done before
they will consider me.
I hope that the President will take
this into consideration and re-
instate the 6 months from the
contract to allow us to finish our
work. After all, 50% of the treasure is
for the government, there was no
reason for the Government not to
oversee the finalization of this work
in the first place.
I pray that God will bless you all
and guide you to make the right
decision.
With kind regards,
Stephen and Liz Englert
in the first instance."
The petitioners maintain that "the
state remains under a duty to fulfill
the obligations to clean the pollution
as provided for under Article 38 of the
Constitution, and that the
Respondents have committed a fault
by their action/inaction or omission
and consequently put the health,
safety and environment of the
Continued on page 6
6 5TH APRIL 2023
Historic win for Woodland Holdings
in environmental pollution case in
Seychelles' Constitutional Court
Continued from page 5
Petitioners in danger, and which
persists to date."
Rose submitted that "in view of the
recognition that several pieces of
legislation have been enacted with the
aim of protecting and preserving the
environment, this demonstrates that
the State has taken measures to protect,
preserve and improve the environment.
Accordingly, there is no merit in the
attempt by the Petitioners arguing that
there has been a breach of Article 38
that needs to be addressed in this
Court."
The petitioners said that they have
suffered loss and damage for which the
respondents - the Ministry of
Environment, the Ministry of Health
and the Attorney General - are jointly
and severally liable to the petitioners.
As such they are claiming SCR 3
million ($228,000) in damages for
moral damage for the inconvenience,
anxiety and emotional distress – SCR 1
million ($76,500), moral damage for
risk to health, life and livelihood - SCR 1
Get a filter for goodness'
sake!
“Get a filter for goodness' sake” was the
exclamation by a hardcore Seychelles
National Party supporter after he heard
what President Wavel Ramkalawan
had to say about the late Mr. Alexis
better known as “Kaskadyen”, when he
was delivering the eulogy at the latter's
funeral. His sentiment found an echo
widely amongst the population as in yet
another unbridled speech the man at
State House went overboard and this
time cast serious suspicions on a man
he called a dear friend.
With the incidents of vandalism in
churches still very vivid in the minds of
the people, President Ramkalawan
found it ok to state that when the SNP
was an underground opposition, Alexis
knew how to enter every church in the
country at night after the churches were
closed!
This immediately led to his
opponents, pointing fingers and saying
that it was the explanation for the
vandalism and skeletons being left at
churches these past couple of years!
Indeed, the way the President said what
million ($76,500), and moral damage
for exposure to health risk, annoying
smell and the unsafe environment-
SCR 1 million ($76,500).
The presiding judge of the case,
Melchior Vidot, said that during the
course of the plaintiff's testimony, it
became clear that the allegation is
that the defendants are in breach of
obligations under Article 38 of the
Constitution and also failed to
provide the plaintiff with a clean,
healthy and ecologically balanced
environment.
Justice Vidot referred the case to
the Constitutional Court on October
29 in 2021.
Article 38 of the Seychelles
Constitution states that "the State
recognizes the right of every person to
live in and enjoy a clean, healthy and
ecologically balanced environment
and with a view to ensuring the
effective realization of this right the
State undertakes; to take measures to
promote the protection, preservation
‘
With the incidents of
vandalism in churches
still very vivid in the
minds of the people,
President Ramkalawan
found it OK to state that
when the SNP was an
underground opposition,
Alexis knew how to enter
every church in the
country at night after the
churches were closed!
he did, was fodder for every active
imagination. Without realizing it, he
had sullied the reputation of a man
known as a God-fearing Christian and
also on his party and himself in regard
to the events which unfolded at the
time.
It is worth noting that SNP was not
a represented political party in the
National Assembly, from 2011 to 2015
because it boycotted the elections in
2011.
and improvement of the
environment; to ensure a sustainable
socio-economic development of
Seychelles by a judicious use and
management of the resources of
Seychelles; and to promote public
awareness of the need to protect,
preserve and improve the
environment."
The Constitutional Court had to
look into whether the obligations
entrenched in Article 38 extend to the
State and answered yes to all three
questions asked.
The questions were whether the
obligation entrenched in Article 38
extends to the State, to ensure that
private citizens do not pollute the
environment. Whether there is an
obligation on the State to take steps to
clean up any pollution caused by such
citizens; and whether failure to do so
may render the State liable to its
citizens for damages?
With this, the case was referred to
Justice Vidot to determine the
petitioners' claim in accordance with
the considerations and findings of the
Constitutional Court. – (Source:
SNA)
Right on cue
As the public tried to wrap their minds
around what the President had said
and which the opposition was making
a meal out of, another vandalism
incident occurred at the Anse Royale
and Port Glaud churches where anti-
Christian and satanic messages were
sprayed on the walls and doors. The
timing was right on cue and left no
doubt that the incident was a direct
response to either what he had been
said or the suspicions which arose
from his words.
The public is chagrined that the
Head of State does not seem to be able
to help himself whenever he gets an
opportunity to speak in public.
“He just does not know where to
stop and invariably ends up tying
himself and the party up in knots,”
Lise an LDS activist said.
Alexis was a peaceful man but
fiercely defensive of his belief and
principles; Kaskadyen as he was
known to his closes friends fought
hard and sacrificed abundantly for the
freedom and democracy, which many
are enjoying today and taking for
granted, maybe they should spare a
thought to the real heroes of
yesteryears.n

TRNUC ASSOCIATION OF VICTIMS
The Wishing Well, Anse Des Genets, Mahe, Seychelles
Email: barrylaine@hpcgroup.sc positive contributions to help close
Tel: +248 2515616
By Barry LaineFCIM, FInst SMM,
MCMI, MBSCH
Chairman
TRNUC Association of Victims
The Wishing Well
Anse Des Genets
Mahe, Seychelles
Email: barrylaine@hpcgroup.sc
Tel: + 248 2515616
31st March 2023
Today 31st March 2023 is a milestone in
the history of the democratic Republic
of Seychelles, a signatory to the United
Nations Human Rights
Convention.After nearly five years of
existence, the Truth, Reconciliation
and National Unity Commission
(TRNUC), headed by the highly
respected international lawyer, Mrs
Gabriel McIntyre, has handed over its
final report and its recommendations to
the President of the Republic of
Seychelles, His Excellency Mr. Wavel,
John, Charles Ramkalawan.
This final report has been keenly
awaited by the victims of the State's
abuse of power which primarily took
place during the One Party State era
and even beyond. The publication of the
final report is also keenly awaited by
many International Human Rights
organisations and many governments.
After an arduous three years of publicly
reliving the nightmares of their abuse at
the hands of the State, victims hope that
they will finally get justice and be
rightfully compensated for their ordeal
since the Coup D'état of 5th June 1977.
It is to be reminded that the abuse of
State's power was widespread and
comprised of, but not limited to:
Unlawful detention without legal
representation:
Forced exile and deportation to
foreign countries:
Murder, assassinations and
disappearances:
Illegal land and homes acquisitions:
Rape, torture, beatings and political
harassment:
Denial of further education and
employment:
Intimidation and generally rampant
5TH APRIL 2023
this unfortunate chapter in the history
of our beloved country.
abuse of power by the military, the
police and senior government
officials at all levels.
TRNUC was constituted under an
Act of Parliament (NA) in September
2018 and given the Powers and the
Rights of a Supreme Court.It was
unanimously approved by all
members of the National Assembly
and in their wisdom, the National
Assembly members wrote into the
Law that compensation must be paid
to the victims. Now that this body,
equivalent to the Supreme Court, has
reported its facts and made its
recommendations, we urge the
government on behalf of the State to
accept these recommendations in full.
The President in his speech this
morning said he will not wait 30 days
to make this report public, he will
make it public today and he will send
it to the National Assembly today.
This is an indication that this
President who was the instigator of
this process is serious in getting the
matter resolved once and for all.
Any further delay will just prolong
the suffering of the victims and foster
further divisions and ill feelings in
ournation. Reconciliation will only
come when justice has been delivered
to the victims and a measure of
forgiveness will eventually follow.
Forgiveness is not automatic; it
carries its own requirements to be
fulfilled first.
These crimes were committed by
state employees under the direction
of the government in power at the
time which means that the
International law of Odious Debt
applies and cannot be abrogated and
the government must bear the full
vicarious liabilities as a consequence.
The TRNUC Association of
Victims (AOV) also recognises that
the current cohort of Honourable
Members of the Opposition had
nothing to do with those abuses which
were perpetrated by their
predecessors. Unfortunately through
their Party affiliations, they have
inherited a consequence of history.
We would therefore welcome their
7
We are grateful to his Excellency
President Wavel, John, Charles
Ramkalawan for championing the
setting up of TRNUC and for being a
champion of Human Rights during
his time in opposition. We trust his
Excellency will now see through the
successful completion of TRNU
process and alleviate any further
suffering of the victims. This is his
opportunity to show the world that he
is man of his words and a true
champion of human rights.
We also welcome the President's
positive statement on the issue of
State Liability towards victims, made
during his recent State of the Nation
address in the National Assembly.
We, the victims take courage from his
statement and infer from that they
will implement these
recommendations and authorise the
disbursement of due compensations
with minimum delay. The level of
compensations was not plucked out of
the air; it was worked out by experts
with knowledge and experience in
these matters.
We are also grateful to former
President Danny, Rollen Faure for
showing Statesmanship and for his
courage in accepting to set up TRNUC
while he was the President of the
Republic of Seychelles, knowing full
well that the findings could have been
harmful to his political survival yet he
had the courage to force this process
forward and he even went as far as
personally meeting with some victims'
relatives during his presidency.
As representatives of the victims,
our Association remains resolute in
our determination to see justice
prevails. We also stand as a willing
partner to the government, and to that
end we will seek to have meetings with
the President and all political leaders
to put the views of our members
forward and to listen to what the
leaders have to say.
On behalf of the victims, we extend
our heartfelt thanks and appreciation
to all members of the TRNUCand
their staff for all their hard work which
has been carried out under difficult
Continued from page 8
8 5TH APRIL 2023
TRNUC ASSOCIATION OF VICTIMS
The Wishing Well, Anse Des Genets, Mahe, Seychelles
Continued from page 7
circumstances. There were forces at
work in some quarters aimed at making
sure this process did not succeed but
the team at TRNUC forged forward and
they have succeeded where many would
not have done so.
We are conscious of the fact that the
end of this TRNUC team does not mean
the end of the process. The TRNU law
UPF-Seychelles –
AGM 2023
Written by Jacob Terence Madeleine,
Treasurer – UPF-Seychelles
Saturday, April 01, 2023
The Universal Peace
Federation -
Seychelles, hosted
its third Annual
General Meeting
(AGM) at CEPS
Conference Room,
2 n d Floor, Orion
Mall, Victoria,
Mahé Seychelles;
w h i c h w a s
sponsored by the
UPF-Seychelles
Executive Committee, which took
place on Saturday, April 01, 2023.
The AGM was aimed at seeking more
members and bringing forth the
awareness of ‘building a national goal
of peace'.
UPF-Seychelles is to operate as an
independent, voluntary, and non-
profit organization. The vision of the
Association is to sensitize the general
public tobuild a national goal of peace
in which every Seychellois can live in
freedom, harmony, cooperation, and
prosperity. The Association is
registered with the Registrar of
Association as prescribed by the laws
of the Republic of Seychelles.
Members & affiliates who
attended the AGM 2023, consent to
reconfirm the seven (7) Executive
Committee members who were
elected on a two-year mandate during
the AGM 2021, as follows:
Chairperson – Mr. Roger Alphonse;
Vice-Chairperson – Ms. Anna
Faerber; Secretary – Mrs. Suganda
Betioux; Treasurer – Mr. Jacob
Terence Madeleine; Secretary
continues to be effective until it is
removed from statute. There is still a
lot of work to be done with regards to
all the evidence that has been
collected not to mention the setting
up if a body to undertake timely
disbursement of compensations, the
creation of an archive and monument,
inter alia. To this end we urge
President Wavel Ramkalawan not to
delay in announcing a follow up team
to implement the recommendations
General – Mrs. Rosemary Elizabeth
and two (2) Ordinary members: Mr.
Wilven Alcindor and Miss Brisiola
Niole (the youth representative),
including Honorary member - Ms.
Diana Benoit.
The AGM 2023started after 10
am with an opening prayer by the
Vice-Chairperson– Ms. Anna
Faeber, after the Chairperson – Mr.
Roger Alphonse had welcomed the
invited guests and members.
During the AGM 2023, the
Chairperson started with an opening
remark and highlighted the
importance of UPF-Seychelles and
its affiliated parent Organization,
UPF-International based in New
York, USA. UPF provides a platform
for people of diverse faith to
contribute their wisdom,
intelligence, and experiences and
work effectively to promote global
peace.
The Chairperson also
emphasized that every member
should know the 'Vision, Mission
and Objective' of UPF-Seychelles at
the tip of their tongue. He also
touch-based on the motive and
objectives of UPF-Seychelles and
outlined the activities conducted by
UPF-Seychelles over the five-year
period of 2018-2022.
Thereafter, the Treasurer, Mr.
Jacob Terence Madeleine gave a
financial account of the Association
as the Association had not indulged
much in financial activities for the
financial year 2022. This was
followed by the call to bring in more
members, especially the youth, and
the need for UPF-Seychelles to work
with all stakeholders at hand,
of the TRNUC.
The next team will also be
responsible for the setting up of a
public museum where both written
and video evidence collected by
TRNUC will be available to the public
for viewing.
Let this be a lesson to the next
generation that abuse of human rights
can never again have a legitimate
place in our society and beloved
country.n
including the Seychelles National
Youth Council (SNYC).
The Vice-Chair, Ms. Anna Faerber
recalled the need to acquire
additional members and touch base
on the proposed 'calendar of
activities' of UPF-Seychelles for this
year 2023. The activities of the
Association for this year will include
character education workshops,
Association meetings, workshops to
recruit more members, visits to low-
income families, and the annual
Peace Day festival which will be
st
conducted on the 21 of September
2023.
Thereafter, there was a moment
for 'question time', whereby the
members and affiliates placed
emphasis on the need to enhance the
communication channels within the
Association and amongst the
members. The Secretary-General also
emphasized the need for UPF-
Seychelles to be more visible within
the country, especially through the
use of the media. She stated that UPF-
Seychelles should be all out to sell
itself to the General Public.
There and then, the Reports,
Calendar of Activities, and
Appointment of Auditor were
approved by all present.
Subsequently, the AGM 2023 did not
host any elections of the Executive
Committee, as all members agreed for
the executive committee, elected for
two (2) a year mandate, to continue in
their sit-in positions.
The AGM concluded with closing
remarks by the Secretary-General –
Mrs. Rosemary Elizabeth, who also
called to action the members to go out
and seek more members to be
registered and /or affiliated with
UPF-Seychelles. She also stated that
the Association is mandated to
promote peace, love, unity,
happiness, and good values which
arecurrently lacking in our
Continued on page 9

THEIR presence in Port Victoria marked
the successful completion of the OTR of
the First Training Squadron of the
Indian Navy, a 'double-deck' reception
was hosted onboard INS Sujata and
ICGS Sarathi on 31st March in Port
Victoria. The reception was hosted by
the High Commissioner of India to
Republic of Seychelles H.E. Mr Kartik
Pande along with Captain Sarvpreet
Singh, Commanding Officer of INS Tir
and the commanding officers of INS
Sujata and ICGS Sarathi. The event was
attended by Cabinet Ministers,
members of the diplomatic corps, CDF
and other high dignitaries from the
Government of Seychelles, senior
officers of the Seychelles Defence
Forces, eminent members of the Indian
diaspora and the officers of the visiting
squadron.
All the three ships were on visit to
Seychelles from 29 March to 31 March,
prior to which they undertook Joint EEZ
UPF-Seychelles –
AGM 2023
Continued from page 8
motherland. UPF-Seychelles intends to
work effectively alongside
representatives of government,
businesses, civil societies, and the
community, in general, to promote and
enhance peace within our small island
State.
Her closing final remark was short
and sweet, as in “Violence brings war
but Love brings Peace. So let us live
Love that brings Peace and not war,
which brings about violence and crime!
The AGM was adjourned around
12:30 pm, and the members and
affiliates present were treated to
refreshments and snacks.
The Executive Committee and
members of UPF-Seychelles would like
to thank 'CEPS Management' for the
logistics, and assistance during our
AGM 2023. Our sincere thanks are also
conveyed to Mrs. Suganda Betioux for
her active participation in our AGM
2023, for the arrangements of the CEPS
Conference Room, and in maintaining
the cleanliness of the room, afterward,
as we continue to 'live for the sake of
others'.n
5TH APRIL 2023
Indian Navy hosted
onboard reception
surveillance with SDF personnel
onboard. The ships delivered
transshipped machinery spares and
defence gear gifted by India to
Seychelles thus enhancing the
operational capabilities of SDF. The 3-
day schedule of the ships included
engagements with the local citizens
through Open Ship Visit, a
mesmerizing Indian Navy Band
performance at the National Museum
of History and wide-ranging exercises
with the SDF.
In his address, High Commissioner
Pande highlighted the recent
significant engagements of India-
Seychelles Defence partnership
including support in terms of capacity
building through ITEC, regular ship
visits, joint military exercises as well as
joint patrolling to mitigate challenges
including against IUU fishing,
narcotics and human trafficking. He
conveyed that a salient feature of the
visit of the 1st Training Squadron was
Indian Community group
donates blood
SOME 31 Indian nationals working in
the Seychelles who are members of the
Shree Kutchi Leva Patel Samaj Group,
donated blood last weekend in an
activity that spilled over onto Monday
this week. The Blood Transfusion
9
the presence of a
Seychellois official on board
who has trained and sailed
with the Indian ship
forming life-long
professional bonds.
The Chief of the
Seychelles Defence Forces,
Brigadier Michael Rosette,
in his remarks, thanked the
crew of the ships for hosting
a plethora of activities on
board and especially for arranging the
transshipment of Seychelles Air Force
Dornier engines from Seychelles to
India for repair. “We know that in
India we have a friend who always
assists us whenever the need arises.
We look forward to the continuation of
this partnership and are sanguine that
our special friendship will continue to
go from strength to strength,” added
Brigadier Rosette.
st
The visit of the 1 Training
Squadron is a shining example of the
depth and ambit of the warm and
cordial India-Seychelles
relationship.n
Centre has been trying to get more
people to donate blood over the past
year as supplies were getting low and
the demand was always increasing.
Blood transfusion is used in many
Continued on page 10
10
D R VA N E S S A G A I T R E E
B H E E K H O O
GOWREESSUNKAR, a tourism
expert on the tourism island of Mauritius,
has come out strongly to advocate the need
for the island a relook at the Vanilla Islands
concept for their marketing. The Doctor
and tourism expert published a
comprehensive study alongside
Maximiliano Korstanje (Argentian) and
Shem Wambugu Maingi (Kenyan) which
sated that Mauritius forms part of the
Indian Ocean Vanilla Island Group
alongside Seychelles, Reunion,
Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte
Islands and that this concept needed to be
embraced. It is known that ever since the
change from Alain St.Ange, as the
Indian Community
group donates blood
Continued from page 9
therapies and also in emergencies such
as serious road traffic accidents which
require the patient to undergo surgery.
Last year the stock of O Positive blood in
the Blood bank at the center was going
down, as the blood group can be used for
all other groups and as such is in high
demand.
O Positive is also the predominant
blood group in Seychelles with most of
the Asian expatriate population having
the B group. The Clinic Laboratory's
Joanne Michel said that they are very
relieved by the weekend's donation drive
and have expressed her thanks to the
donors.
“From Sunday's donation, we were
able to get 31 units of blood. In all, some
forty members of SKLPS turned up to
donate blood, but nine were not able to
do so as they had health conditions
which prevent them from being donors.”
She added that…
“Whenever we get such a big group of
donors, we are very happy because it
makes a significant difference to our
stocks. However, we are equally happy
to receive blood from any individual
because blood saves lives and here really
every drop counts!”
Ms. Michel explained that conditions
such as low hemoglobin, high blood
pressure, fever, flu, or a current infection
will prevent someone from donating
blood. This will also be the case if a
person has travelled within the last four
months before he wants to donate blood,
if he has had a tattoo within the last
twelve months, or if he is on substances
such as heroin. It is hugely patriotic to
give ones blood to save the life of
someone you don't even know!n
5TH APRIL 2023
Mauritius Tourism expert
says time to relook at Vanilla
Islands for marketing option
Minister of Tourism
of Seychelles, who
was the driving
force behind the
r e g i o n a l
organization, this
Indian Ocean
Islands grouping
has been operating
in a low-key
approach and
reduced speed.
D r Va n e s s a
Gaitree Bheekhoo
Gowreessunkar, the
tourism expert of
Mauritius has said 2015 - As the Mauritius Deputy
that as the island is small with not much
Prime Minister Duval took the
to offer apart from the beach and some
cultural attractions it needed to work head of the Vanilla Islands
with its neighbours to create more of an
attraction for
visitors. The
Tourism Expert in
her document
“Tourism in Crisis”
stated that
Mauritius also
needed to push
forward the
concept of good
governance saying
that too often
tourism enterprises
were subject to a
cartel of important
personalities. She
cited the issue of production of fruits and Mauritius Minister Sik Yuen (R)
vegetables to seeking of consultants as & Seychelles Minister St.Ange
examples where it was always the same
personalities who benefited. (L)in 2012 after the elections
Dr Vanessa Gaitree Bheekhoo of the first President
Gowreessunkar, said that Mauritius
could also seek the assistance of the
UNWTO as has been done by several
other countries as she stated that the launch of the regional body that brought
tourism crisis across the word was not together Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion,
finished and that the world was Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte.
experiencing a mutation of the tourism The organization was formed in
industry. Reunion in 2010 and in 2012 its first
The words by the editors of this President Alain St.Ange was elected at a
tourism document that was published by tourism Minister's Meeting held in
Nova Science Publishers in the United Seychelles. St.Ange was President of the
States on the merit of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands for two consecutive years
Vanilla islands are the exact same words before passing the presidency to
echoed by Alain St.Ange, the former President Didier Robert of Reunion in
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, 2014 and the Mauritius Deputy Prime
Ports and Marine of the Seychelles at the Minister Duval in 2015.n

2023 Africa Wealth Report
Reveals 'Big 5' Host 56% of
Continent's Millionaires
THE total private wealth currently held
on the African continent is USD 2.4
trillion and its millionaire population is
expected to rise by 42% over the next 10
years, according to the latest
2023Africa Wealth Report, published
by Henley & Partners in partnership
with New World Wealth.
The report reveals that Africa's 'Big
5' private wealth markets — South
Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and
Morocco — together account for 56% of
the continent's high-net-worth
individuals (HNWIs) and over 90% of
its billionaires. There are currently
138,000 HNWIs with a private wealth
of USD 1 million or more living in
Africa, along with 328 centi-
millionaires worth USD 100 million or
more, and 23 US-dollar billionaires.
Despite a tough past decade, South
Africa is still home to at least twice as
many HNWIs as any other African
country, and 30% of the continent's
centi-millionaires. Egypt takes the
prize for the most billionaires, and
Mauritius boasts the highest wealth per
capita (average wealth per person) in
Africa, at USD 37,500, followed by
2023 voters' register certified
73,455 confirmed
eligible voters
THE chief registration officer,
Sheena Boniface, has certified the
2023 voters' register as per the
annual legal requirement on March
31, and presented it to the chief
5TH APRIL 2023
‘
Africa is home to
some of the world's
fastest-growing
markets, including
Rwanda, Mauritius,
and Seychelles, which
have seen wealth
growth of 72%, 69%,
and 54%, respectively
over the past decade.
South Africa at USD 10,880 and
Namibia at USD 10,050.
Africa is home to some of the
world's fastest-growing markets,
including Rwanda, Mauritius, and
Seychelles, which have seen wealth
growth of 72%, 69%, and 54%,
respectively over the past decade. In
terms of projections, Mauritius is
expected to experience the highest
private wealth growth rate at 75%
over the next decade (to 2032),
electoral officer, Manuella
Amesbury, in a short ceremony at
the commission's headquarters in
Sacos Tower, yesterday morning.
In a press conference that
11
making it the fourth fastest growing
country in the world in millionaire
growth percentage terms, after
Vietnam, India, and New Zealand.
A ten-year private wealth growth
rate of over 60% is forecast for
Namibia, with its recently launched
residence by investment offering
likely to attract high-net-worth
investors from across the globe.
Commenting in the report, Catherine
Shipushu of the Namibia Investment
Promotion and Development Board,
says the country has one of the largest
uranium reserves in the world and is
attracting international attention
with recent discoveries of gas and oil
reserves. "With bold ambitions of
becoming the sustainable energy
capital of Africa, Namibia's strategic
location and world-class port make it
an ideal gateway to over 300 million
people in other African markets."
Dominic Volek, Group Head of
Private Clients at Henley & Partners,
says more African countries are
setting their sights on attracting
HNWIs by providing residence and
citizenship by investment
opportunities that have the potential
to transform their economies.
“As wealth grows on the continent,
we expect to see investment migration
continue to gain ground in Africa —
not only on the demand side from
African HNWIs looking to improve
their travel freedom and economic
mobility, secure location optionality,
and mitigate risk, but also on the
supply side, with more and more
African nations looking to launch
their own programs to increase the
inflow of capital and talent." –
(Source: asiaone.com)
followed soon after, Ms. Boniface
stated that the number of confirmed
registered candidates on Register
Continued on page 12
12 , 5TH APRIL 2023
2023 voters’
register certified
Continued from page 11
2023, including new registrations,
stood at 73,455, which include 37,672
females and 35,783 males.
The number is slightly lower than
the 2022 voters' register when it was
73,849.
Anse Etoile remains the district
with the most number of registered
voters, at 3993, while the district with
the lowest number is Roche Caiman
in 1973.
The number of deceased persons
removed from the register is 776,
which counts 343 females and 433
males.
The number of eligible voters, (18-
year-olds as of December 2022) was
1748, and 147 were registered.
The number of new registrations
in 2022 was 384, which included 350
full-time voters, 16 who had
naturalised, 13 returning residents
and 5 reinstatements, which are
those who went to prison and whose
names had been re-instated onto the
register.
Meanwhile, the total number of
transactions recorded in 2022 was
782; a 353 increase, compared to
2021, when it was 429. These were
384 new registrations, 251 transfers,
27 transfers and corrections as well
as 120 corrections only.
Ms. Boniface said last year the
Electoral Commission intensified its
Decrease of 49 cents in electricity
tariff for all sectors
THE Seychelles Energy
Commission has announced
that the electricity tariff for
the coming period of April
2023 to June 2023 will
decrease by 49 cents across all
sectors.
campaign to educate and sensitise
the public on the importance of
checking their names on the
register and for first-time voters to
come forward to register. This was
enhanced through their outreach
programmes in post-secondary
institutions which allowed the
youths to better understand the
registration process and their
responsibility to register as a voter.
She said most of the applications
recorded were from the outreach
programmes and special exercises.
Ms. Boniface said the
involvement and use of mainstream
media allowed their educational
campaign to reach the population.
However, she said that challenges
remained.
“You still get first-time voters
who do not carry their
identification card or have the old
card without the photos, which
means we cannot register them.
Some even said they are not ready
to register or they still have time to
register before an election,”
explained Ms. Boniface, adding
that although the election is
scheduled for 2025, they should
seize this opportunity to register
when the service is brought closer
to them.
She added that although the
electoral commission does its
maximum to encourage first-time
The weighted average fuel
price charged to the Public
Utilities Corporation (PUC) by
the Seychelles Petroleum
Company (Seypec) over the first
quarter has decreased by R1.76
per litre equating to R0.49 per
voters, it rests with them to do their
part.
“Our officers do their maximum
and they have noticed that the work
had intensified but if we do not get
the collaboration of other
stakeholders, such as political
parties, then it will all be futile. If
this year they are motivated and
willing to mobilise their voters, then
maybe more will come forward,”
said Ms. Boniface.
The chief registration officer
said although she was satisfied that
people came forward last year, she
knew they could do better and
entice more voters to inspect or
register.
“Already, we see a positive trend
in the transactions from January
2023 to date where we have already
recorded over 200 transactions,
meaning we are on the right track.
So, hopefully, this year we will be
more satisfied,” she said.
Meanwhile, the registration for
the 2023 register begins today and
all eligible voters are being
encouraged to check the register.
The chief registration officer
said this year, other than post-
secondary institutions, they will be
taking the service closer to some
workplaces, including hotels which
have also requested it for their staff.
The registration schedule has
also been shared with political
parties so they could also mobilise
their supporters.
For those who registered their
names last year, they could effective
today, inspect their names using the
SMS system on 9606 or use the
website at www.ecs.sc – (Source:
Nation)
unit of electricity or kWh.
The next review of
electricity tariff based on fuel
price will be announced
towards the end of June
2023. – (Source: Seychelles
Energy Commission)

A handful of former ANB
agents join the police
THIRTEEN of 81 officers
who were made
redundant following the
abolition of the Anti-
Narcotics Bureau (ANB)
have since joined the
Seychelles Police Force
(SPF), and fifteen more
are expected to join on
May 1.
The figures were
revealed to the National
Assembly by Minister for
Internal Affairs Errol Fonseka, and a
delegation from the police, last Tuesday
morning. This was in response to a
Private Notice Question by the leader of
the opposition in the National
Assembly Sebastien Pillay, who was
seeking clarifications over why many
former agents of the ANB remain
without employment, despite having
undergone policing training.
The announcement to restructure
the force, and scrapping the ANB was
made on June 17, 2022, in line with the
Strategic Plan 2023-2025, Minister
Fonseka clarified.
As per Assistant Superintendent
and director general for human
resources and administration Joseph
Bibi, despite setting out the conditions
for former agents to join the police,
unfruitful negotiations led the
administration to decide, in
consultation with the Public Service
Office (PSO), to have all ANB
employees made redundant, as from
December 31, 2022.
“Among the conditions which were
put in place for those who want to stay
Cocaine smuggling: Sierra Leonean woman
sentenced to 4 years in Seychelles prison
A 32-year-old woman from Sierra
Leone was sentenced by the
Seychelles Supreme Court to four
years in prison last Thursday, after
she pleaded guilty to the importation
of a controlled drug.
The police said in a statement last
Friday that Memunatu Esther
Camara was arrested at the
5TH APRIL 2023
on were that they would be employed
as a Constable, that they follow a
training course in policing, and that
they would also be paid all their
benefits,” Mr. Bibi said.
“We observed that many former
agents were not accepting these
conditions for varying reasons. They
would see a decrease in their salaries,
their working conditions would be
different, and their positions would
not be the same since it is not in line
with the Police Force Act, for
positions such as team leader or
principal officer,” Mr. Bibi explained.
All officers were paid all of their
dues, he added, in addition to being
informed that they may apply to
rejoin the police, as had been offered
to them before.
Only a handful have applied to join
the police, Mr. Bibi further stated.
They have been posted to units
whereby they are based at the airport,
post office and port, while other
former agents are involved with
important tasks, such as intelligence.
The additional fifteen officers are
Seychelles International airport in
April 2022, after trying to enter
Seychelles with 1.54 kg of cocaine.
The drugs, which were hidden in
part of Camara's luggage, were
discovered by police and customs
officers.
After being taken to court,
Camara pleaded not guilty and was
13
expected to join the force
on May 1, once the pause
on recruitment is lifted
following the salary
reforms which are set to
take place in April.
Minister Fonseka
pointed out that despite
the recent successes in
the fight against drugs,
the situation remains
alarming. It is therefore
important that
individuals recruited on
the force must be the right fit for the job,
possessing values such as discipline
and honesty, he said.
“We need people with the heart for
this type of work,” Minister Fonseka
added.
At present, 14 police officers, 11
military officers, six former ANB
agents, and an officer of the prison are
inmates at the Montagne Posée prison,
he highlighted.
“All of these people should have
been taking their jobs seriously. They
are people whom we have trusted, who
we expected to have a good work ethic
and they have failed us. It is for this
reason that recruitment in these
agencies must be done with
precaution,” Minister Fonseka added.
In addition to its different units, the
police are assisted by the military in its
war on drugs.
Commissioner of Police Ted Barbe
and deputy Commissioner Francis
Songoire were also present for the
sitting. – (Source: Nation)
remanded. She pleaded guilty when
her case started.
She is the second female foreign
national to be sentenced to prison
in Seychelles in a year.
Elsie Esther Vambe, 45, from
Zimbabwe was sentenced to five
years in prison in April 2022 for the
importation of a controlled drug
and another five years for
trafficking a controlled drug.
Seychelles has a 'zero tolerance'
policy for the possession and use of
illegal drugs. – (Source: SNA)
14 , 5TH APRIL 2023
Fitch Ratings: Seychelles'
credit rating remains at BB-
SEYCHELLES' credit ratings remain at
'BB-' with a stable outlook from Fitch
Ratings2023, reflecting solid tourism
recovery, stable growth prospects, low
inflation and a stable economic
framework of the country.
According to the Ratings released last
Friday, "Seychelles' tourism sector
recorded a solid recovery in 2022, with
tourist arrivals surging by 82 percent
year-on-year and reaching 86.4 percent
of 2019 levels."
Fitch warns that global economic
uncertainty and competition from
other high-end tourism destinations
should lead to a slowdown in visitor
growth to an estimated 5 percent in
2023-2024.
However, despite continued visitor
growth, Fitch expects "tourism receipts
will decline by about 14 percent in 2023
and 7 percent in 2024, reaching 41.3
percent of GDP, given the expected
tapering in arrivals of high-spending
tourists from Russia and other
countries. There is upside from a larger
than expected fall in oil prices -
translating into lower airfares - and
shallower than projected recessions in
major European economies."
On the stable growth prospects,
Fitch said that following real economic
growth of 8.9 percent in 2022, it expects
growth of 3.6 percent in 2023 and 4.2
percent in 2024, as tourism growth
normalises.
It projects medium-term growth of
about 4 percent and sees an upside
mainly from investment, which has
lagged in recent years due to execution
challenges, rather than a boost to
productivity or the labour force.
On inflation, the Ratings said a
trend of currency appreciation since
mid-2021 led to inflation falling to 2.6
percent on average in 2022 compared
to 9.8 percent in 2021.
While macroeconomic and
monetary policy is stable and largely
predictable, in Fitch's view, the
transmission of monetary policy is
somewhat constrained by the high
levels of dollarisation in the economy.
Fitch expects Seychelles' current
account deficit to continue to decline
to 3.9 percent of GDP in 2023 and 3.5
percent in 2024 as tourism inflows
continue to normalise. However,
Seychelles' exceptionally high
reliance on tourism for foreign
exchange inflows, and heavy reliance
on imports for most basic goods,
remain a key weakness.
As for vulnerabilities, Fitch said
Seychelles is heavily exposed to risks
from rising sea levels, although a
significant impact will likely only be
felt in the medium to long term.
"In the short term, Seychelles'
tourism industry faces constraints in
expansion due to the saturation of
coastal infrastructure, and various
risks of environmental and
biodiversity degradation. Climate-
change adaptation measures are
currently not factored into fiscal
planning, although Seychelles
receives technical assistance from
international bodies in this regard," it
added.
The highest ever Fitch Ratings for
Seychelles, an archipelago in the
western Indian Ocean, was a grade of
BB, in 2019. - (Source: SNA)
International
Monetary Fund
(IMF) staff
reaches staff-
level agreement
with Seychelles
SEYCHELLES will have access to SDR
42.36 million (about USD 56.96
million) under the EFF and SDR 34.35
million (about USD 46.19 million)
under the RSF.
IMF staff and the Seychellois
authorities reached a staff-level
agreement on a successor 36-month
Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a
new Resilience and Sustainability
Facility (RSF) program to support
Seychelles' economic policies and
reforms. Seychelles is the second
African country to reach a staff-level
agreement to access the Resilience
and Sustainability Trust (RST).
Performance under the current
EFF has been strong. Economic
recovery, fiscal consolidation and
debt reduction continued in 2022,
resulting in public debt declining to
69.9 percent of GDP at end-2022 (11
percentage-points reduction since
end-2021). The new EFF and RSF will
support the authorities' efforts to
maintain macroeconomic stability,
advance structural reforms, including
climate adaptation and mitigation,
and insure against downside risks.
According to the agreement--
which is subject to approval by the
IMF Executive Board-- Seychelles will
have access to SDR 42.36 million
(about USD 56.96 million) under the
EFF and SDR 34.35 million (about
USD 46.19 million) under the RSF.
An International Monetary Fund
(IMF) mission led by
CalixteAhokpossi, Mission Chief for
Seychelles, visited Victoria March 16-
29, 2023, to discuss the authorities'
request for support under an
Extended Fund Facility (EFF)
arrangement and a Resilience
Sustainability Facility (RSF)
program.
At the end of the mission, Mr.
Ahokpossi issued the following
statement:
“The Seychellois authorities and
an IMF staff team reached a staff-level
Continued on page 15

International
Monetary Fund
(IMF) staff
reaches staff-
level agreement
with Seychelles
Continued from page 14
agreement on policies and reforms
under a new 36-month Extended Fund
Facility arrangement and a Resilience
and Sustainability Faciity program,
with a requested access of 185 percent
of quota under the EFF (SDR 42.36
million) and 150 percent of quota under
the RSF (SDR 34.35 million). The new
EFF would support the authorities in
their efforts to build on the progress in
macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial
reforms started under the EFF that was
approved in July 2021. The RSF
financing will help the authorities
advance their efforts in building
resilience against climate change. The
agreement is subject to approval by the
IMF Management and Executive
Board. Consideration by the Board is
tentatively scheduled for May 2023.
“On the economic front, tourism
recovered strongly in 2022 with arrivals
reaching about 87 percent of pre-
pandemic levels, notwithstanding a
challenging global environment. As a
result, GDP growth accelerated to 9
5TH APRIL 2023 15
expected in 2023 and the primary
balance would reach a deficit of 0.4
deliver more inclusive, resilient, and
sustainable growth.
percent of GDP.
“The government has made
“The RSF-supported reforms will
help the authorities advance
significant progress in implementing
policies and reforms set out in the
measures to integrate climate-related
considerations in the design of
current IMF-supported EFF program
and in restoring macroeconomic
macroeconomic policies and
frameworks, enhance climate-related
balances. Quantitative performance
has been strong and the broader
risk management for financial
institutions, strengthen the disaster
structural reform agenda has also
proceeded at a good pace. The current
risk reduction and management
framework, and address adaptation
program is expected to be cancelled and mitigation needs. While
and replaced by the new one. Seychelles has a well-advanced
““The Central Bank of Seychelles climate agenda, it needs to further
(CBS) has maintained an strengthen its institutions to deliver
appropriately accommodative
and monitor its ambitious climate
monetary policy. The CBS stands
objectives and to mobilize additional
ready to act if inflationary pressures
resources to achieve them.
materialize. The CBS will continue its
“The team would like to thank the
efforts to strengthen its monetary
Seychellois authorities for their close
policy framework and will monitor
collaboration and the openness that
closely financial sector soundness to
prevailed during the discussions.”
reinforce banks' ability to support the
The IMF team met with President
recovery.
Ramkalawan, Minister for Finance,
'“Discussions on reform under the
National Planning and Trade Hassan,
EFF focused on creating fiscal space
Governor of the Central Bank of
for priority capital and social
Seychelles Abel, the other Technical
spending and strengthening the fiscal
and monetary policy frameworks. The and Financial Partners, and other
senior government officials as well as
aim of the reforms is to maintain
macroeconomic stability, while representatives of the private sector. –
(Source: IMF)
undertaking structural reforms to
Keep Indian Ocean a 'Zone of
Peace'

percent, from 5.4 percent in 2021.The
economy is expected to grow at a slower
pace of 4.3 percent in 2023. This
outlook is, however, subject to
downside risks related to tourism, given
the challenging international
environment.
“Inflation in Seychelles was
relatively low in 2022 reflecting the
lagged effects of currency appreciation
as well as base effects. After averaging
9.8 percent in 2021, inflation declined
to 2.6 percent on average in 2022. For
2023, inflation is expected to keep
moderating and decline to 1.4 percent
on average in 2023.
“Seychelles recorded a primary
fiscal surplus of 0.7 percent of GDP in
2022, in contrast with a deficit of 3.2
percent in 2021 and 15.2 percent in
2020. This also represents an
overperformance relative to the
projected primary fiscal deficit of 1.1
percent of GDP for 2022, as both
current and capital expenditures were
under-executed. Higher spending is
T
ODAY once
a g a i n a
repetition of the
'Cold war' between the
US and Russia is
threatening to spill over
into a military confrontation in the
battlefields of Europe. The epicenter
is Ukraine – where the US is engaged
in a proxy war with Russia. Sadly, the
land of that country (Ukraine) has
been laid waste, millions of its people
made homeless and hundreds of
thousands killed and wounded.
At the same time, the US is now,
confronting nuclear-armed China,
the world's second most powerful
country. Unable to face down China
on its own, the US has formed a
military pact with an ailing Britain
and militarily weak Australia in a
military pact titled 'AUKUS'
While the aim of the pact –
AUKUS- is to 'maintain the freedom
of Indo-Pacific Ocean', the reality is
that, neither the UK, US nor Australia
is situated in the Indian Ocean. The
pact also aims to provide Australia
with nuclear-powered submarines
capable of deploying nuclear missiles.
In effect, the AUKUS pact is
effectively turning the Indian Ocean
region into a virtual naval
battleground for nations using these
important and vital sea lanes.
After its resounding defeat at the
hands of the Vietnamese people in
March 1973, for a short while the US
withdrew into its own country to lick
its war wounds.
The 'Vietnam War Stats and Myths
– US Wings' revealed one out of every
10 Americans who served in Vietnam
was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and
Continued on page 16
16 , 5TH APRIL 2023
Keep Indian Ocean
a 'Zone of Peace'
Continued from page 15
304,000 were wounded out of 2.7
million who served.
The US used chemical weapons,
defoliants and weapons of mass
destruction on civilian areas of
Vietnam. In addition, it attacked
Vietnam's neighbours Laos and
Cambodia claiming the North
Vietnamese were smuggling weapons
through those lands; again, leaving a
massive trail of destruction.
According to the US Department of
Defence, the US spent about US$168
billion (worth around US$950 billion in
2011) in the entire war including
US$111 billion on military operations
(1965 – 1972) and US$28.5 billion on
economic and military aid to Saigon
regime (1953-1975).
In the aftermath of its defeat in
Vietnam and the casualties it suffered;
the world believed; nay hoped, that the
US would learn the lessons thereof and
stop interfering in the affairs of other
nations.
But it was not to be, shortly
thereafter the US attacked Somalia, and
Seychelles: The Head of State receives the
Annual Report of the Ombudsman
T
HE President of
the Republic, Mr.
WavelRamkalaw
an formally
received the Annual
Report of the
Ombudsman for the
year ending 31st
December 2022
presented personally by
the Ombudsman, Mrs.
Nichole Tirant-
Ghérardi.
The report presented at State
House this morning, covers the
activities of the Office of the
Ombudsman in the year 2022. This is
in line with Paragraph 6 (6) of
Schedule 5 of the Constitution, which
requires the Office to make a general
Annual Report on the exercise of the
Ombudsman's functions during the
previous year.
invaded Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria
leaving a trail of death and
destruction in its wake – all in the
name of maintaining freedom.
Today, once again the US using the
AUKUS military pact claiming to seek
'maintaining the freedom of the Indo-
Pacific Ocean.
None of the states in the Indian
Ocean region looks to the US, our past
colonial ruler UK or Australia who
nearly wiped out the aborigines of
that land, to maintain the freedom of
the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean.
It was not surprising therefore,
when President Wickremesinghe in a
zoom interview with Harvard
University on March 24 said, it is
essential for Sri Lanka's future to
ensure that the issues of the Asia
Pacific, especially that of Taiwan, do
not spill over into the Indian Ocean.
He added Sri Lanka's access to the
growing Indian and African markets
should not be disrupted by any big
power rivalry or conflict. The
President also highlighted the rising
competition between China and the
Quad, which has been further
aggravated by the newly formed
'AUKUS' pact between Australia, US
and Britain.
The President's statement is in
keeping with UN Resolution 2832
During the meeting the
Ombudsman briefed the Head of
State on how her office has operated
last year, the challenges encountered
such as staffing, sensitizing the
public of the mandate of the Office of
the Ombudsman and what it does,
and how the Government can help
facilitate the work of her office.
The President conveyed his
(XXVI), adopted by the UN General
Assembly, which designates 'for all
time' the Indian Ocean as a 'Zone of
Peace.'
The resolution also calls upon the
“… permanent members of the
Security Council and other major
maritime users of the Indian Ocean to
enter into consultations aimed at the
implementation of the Declaration
whereby (a) warships and military
aircraft would not use the Indian
Ocean for any threat or use of force
against any littoral or hinterland
State; (6) the right to free and
unimpeded use of the zone by the
vessels of all nations would be
ensured; and (c) international
agreement would be reached for the
maintenance of the Indian Ocean as a
zone of peace.
The idea of the Indian Ocean as a
Peace Zone was first mooted by then-
premier Ranasinghe Premadasa, who
forwarded the motion at the UN
General Assembly, where it was
accepted and adopted. We do not need
the frigates, nuclear submarines or
nuclear weapons of the US, Britain or
Australia to maintain the freedom of
navigation in the Indian Ocean. It is
already a designated 'Peace Zone' and
we would like to keep it that way. –
(Source: dailymirror.lk)
sincere appreciation to
Mrs. Tirant-Ghérardi
for her hard work and
commitment and
reaffirmed the
government's
continuous support in
the important work
that her office does.
Speaking to the
press after the
meeting, Mrs. Tirant-
Ghérardi said that 173
complaints were lodged with her
office last year, whereby 30 cases
were further looked at by her office.
She explained that the others, out of
which were complaints of
employment, immigration, and
medical cases were outside of the
remit or mandate of the Office of the
Ombudsman. – (Source:
Statehouse)

Colonialism continues to
plague the global south
Below we print the opening
remarks by Bundestag member
SEVIM DAGDELEN at a
symposium at the University of
Mauritius dedicated to
neocolonialism in the 21st
century.
IN MARCH 2023, Member of the
German Bundestag SevimDagdelen
travelled to Mauritius for political
discussions on the current
negotiations between the governments
of the Republic of Mauritius and
Britain on the return of the Chagos
Islands.
The Archipelago continues to be
occupied illegally by Britain and the
US, the latter of which operates a
military base on its largest island Diego
Garcia.
During her visit, Dagdelen met
representatives of the government of
the Republic of Mauritius, including
the deputy prime minister and the
minister for foreign affairs, members
of the national assembly as well as
representatives of the Mauritian peace
movement and the Chagossians, who
were deported from the islands in 1966
and 1973 in violation of human rights
and international law.
In her opening remarks at a
symposium at the University of
Mauritius, she addresses the theme
“Neocolonialism in the 21st Century
and the need for decolonisation” :
Discussions in Germany on
colonialism tend to centre on the
decolonisation of history, on
addressing Germany's bloody colonial
past, particularly in Namibia and
Tanzania.
It should be noted in this context
that the Federal [German] government
has so far been unwilling to pay
compensation for the horrific crimes of
colonialism.
What is absent from the public
debate is the fact that the era of
colonialism is not over in two senses —
that this epoch of ruthless exploitation
and disempowerment, this epoch of
eliminatory racism, is still ongoing.
The continuation of the epoch of
colonialism can be seen very tangibly
in Mauritius, with the ongoing
occupation of the Chagos Archipelago
5TH APRIL 2023
even after the independence of
Mauritius in 1968.
It should be recalled that the
British, in line with the demands of
the US, separated the Chagos
Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965,
yet maintained the colonial
occupation of the territory.
The reason for this demand by the
US administration was the plan to
build a large US military base of
geostrategic importance in the
middle of the Indian Ocean — which
was subsequently to become a centre
for crimes against humanity since it
later provided infrastructure with
both for the illegal wars waged by the
US and for the torture flights.
The 1960s were the years of
decolonisation. The right of self-
determination of peoples, which is
anchored in the UN Charter as a
structural principle of international
relations, was able to be asserted for
increasing numbers of former
colonies.
Decolonisation came as a reaction
to the steadfast resistance of the
oppressed populations against their
oppressors.
With regard to the Chagos
Archipelago, the US and Britain were
therefore loath to take any risks. In
addition to ensuring territorial
separation from Mauritius, the entire
island population was deported, to
avoid any subsequent demands for
decolonisation.
Thus, the measures to create legal
safeguards for the US base in the
Chagos Archipelago went hand in
hand with crimes against humanity,
with an act of despicable eliminatory
racism.
The inhabitants of the islands
were treated like mere objects — and,
together with their descendants, they
are still today paying the price for this
17
u n s c r u p u l o u s
deportation of the
population.
Everything possible
must be done to ensure
that this disgraceful
chapter in colonial
history is closed and the
Chagos Archipelago
returned to Mauritius so
that the inhabitants and their
descendants can return.
I am ashamed that the Federal
government, contrary to the large
majority of states, decided to abstain
during the vote in the UN general
assembly on the implementation of
the International Court of Justice
Opinion on the return of the Chagos
Archipelago.
This demonstrates strikingly for
me the double standards in place with
regard to Nato countries or direct
allies of the US. Or, to put it another
way, the principle of “one crow not
pecking out the eye of another”
applies.
And, against the background of
the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war,
we must concede that even
international institutions like the
International Court of Justice apply
double standards and that practically
no action is taken against the US,
Nato countries and their allies.
This can be seen with regard to the
Chagos Archipelago, too, where the
blatant crime of deportation had
absolutely no criminal consequences,
in line with the perfidious logic of
impunity for the Nato military
alliance, although the perpetrators
readily admit having committed this
crime against humanity.
The problem is that this
application of double standards not
only destroys the credibility of those
concerned but also takes an axe to the
very foundations of cooperative
peaceful international relations.
Double standards and the
application of differing moral
principles undermine the
international legal order and help
perpetuate the era of colonialism.
And this brings me to the second
Continued on page 18
18 , 5TH APRIL 2023
Colonialism continues
to plague the global south
Continued from page 17
phenomenon concerning the ongoing
colonialism of our time. We are dealing
with the phenomenon of
neocolonialism, as set out by the
former president of Ghana, Kwame
Nkrumah.
N k r u m a h d e s c r i b e d
neocolonialism as a systemic problem
of post-colonial states in their relations
with former European colonial
empires. He pointed out that, although
the former colonies are in theory
independent and have all the outward
trappings of sovereignty, they have not
achieved true sovereignty.
And we are witnessing continued
efforts even in the 21st century to
organise neocolonial exploitation of
the African continent in particular,
whether through ruthless exploitation
of natural resources by Western
corporations or the power of financial
organisations which decide the fate of
African countries to their detriment.
In the recent past, we have also seen
a further phenomenon of neo-
colonialism, with the US — but also
allies like Germany — resorting to
moral posturing, threats and pressure
to persuade countries of the global
South to align with their position in the
proxy war in Ukraine between the West
and Russia and, for example, flatly
demanding that India join the
economic war against Russia even in
contradiction of India's own economic
interests.
In my view, the clearer it becomes
that the economic war against Russia is
predominately affecting these
countries' own populations, the greater
the efforts to force the states of the
global South, in neocolonial style, to
take measures to the detriment of their
own populations, thus degrading them
to states with reduced sovereignty.
My impression is, however, that
resistance is growing in the case of
India, and also Brazil, to this kind of
neocolonialism.
The path to a multipolar world is
irreversible even though it will have to
be followed in opposition to the
governments of the Nato states — or in
the case of the Indian Ocean the Aukus
military pact, to which the military
base in the Chagos Archipelago is
essential for its policy of confrontation
and encirclement vis-a-vis China. –
(Source: morningstaronline.co.uk)
EXCLUSIVE
Tixee Appears to close shop
The FX/CFDs broker suspended new registrations.
Finance Magnates could not reach its '24/5 available'
customer support.
Tixee, a forex and contracts for differences (CFDs)
broker operating in the EU and globally, has quietly
shuttered services, Finance Magnates learned from an
industry source.
Tixee Goes Dark
T
HE broker operates with
licenses from the regulators
in Cyprus and Seychelles.
GVD Korimcy Ltd operates Tixee
under the Cypriot license, and
Pipbull Limited is the Seychelles-
registered entity.
The two licenses allow Tixee to
operate in a broad market. It
passports the Cypriot license to
offer trading services across the
European Economic Area (EEA),
while with the Seychelles licenses,
it can onboard clients from global
markets without specific FX/CFDs
trading regulations.
Tixee websites, tixee.eu for EU
and tixee.com globally, suspended
registration without providing any
details. At the time of writing, the
EU website is noting that
“registration at the moment is not
possible,” while the Seychelles-
regulated platform is displaying,
“temporarily new registrations are
unavailable.”
Finance Magnates tried
contacting the customer support of
Cypriot and Seychelles entities
operating Tixee. However, they are
not responsive either on live chat or
by phone, despite the claims of
2 4 / 5 c u s t o m e r s u p p o rt . In
addition, Finance Magnates tried
to reach out to Tixee executives and
will update this story with their
official response.
Tixee Inked Multiple
Partnership Deals Recently
Tixee offers retail tradingRetail
TradingIn finance, retail trading
refers to individual trader...Read
this Term services with currency
pairs and contracts for differences
of other popular asset classes.
According to the Seychelles-
registered website, Tixee has more
than 155,000 registered clients
from over 115 countries. However,
the EU website does not show any
such numbers.
The broker inked a sports deal
last August, becoming one of the
official sponsors of Apollon
Limassol FC for the playing seasons
2022 until 2024. The Cypriot
football club still lists Tixee as one
of its sponsors on its official
website.
Meanwhile, Tixee streamlined
its service recently by adding
Match-Prime as one of its liquidity
providers . Furthermore, most
recently, TodorGeorgiev departed
from Tixee to join FXGlobe. He
joined Tixee in mid-2021 as the
Head of Legal and Compliance and
parted as the Chief Operating
Officer. – (Source:
financemagnates.com)

Implementation of tourism
environmental levy postponed
THE Ministry of Finance, National
Planning & Trade has announced the
postponement in the implementation
of the tourism environmental levy,
initially to take effect on April 1.
The delay in implementation
follows discussions and consultations
carried out with the tourism industry on
the introduction of the levy, following
KuCoin Launches a $1 million
Bug Bounty Program on
HackenProof
VICTORIA, Seychelles--( BUSINESS
WIRE )--KuCoin, the top 5 global
cryptocurrency exchange, announced
its partnership with cybersecurity
company Hacken to launch a $1 million
bug bounty program, which is the
biggest bounty reward among crypto
exchanges so far. Meanwhile, a new
Security Landing Page was launched on
the KuCoin website to outline its
industry-leading security practices and
provide users with resources and tips to
enhance their own account security.
The bug bounty program will reward
security researchers for discovering
and responsibly disclosing
vulnerabilities on the KuCoin platform,
aiming to further strengthen the
security of KuCoin and protect its users'
funds. HackenProof will help KuCoin to
review submissions from researchers
and determine reward amounts based
5TH APRIL 2023
which the ministry has presented to
the government the views and
proposals put forward by the
industry.
Having considered the views of the
industry positively, the government
has requested the ministry to
undertake further assessments on the
most feasible option that would
on the severity of each vulnerability.
Rewards will range from $50 to
$1,000,000 per bug, which are
categorized as Critical: $50,000 -
$1,000,000; High: $2,000 -
$49,000; Medium: $500 - $1,999 and
Low: $50 - $499, With the largest
payouts issued for high-risk
vulnerabilities that could
compromise user accounts or the
exchange's infrastructure.
"At KuCoin, the safety and security
of our users is our topmost priority,
we are investing heavily in measures
that strengthen protections for our
users and their funds. Partnering with
HackenProof and launching this bug
bounty program will enable us to tap
into the skills and expertise of the
cybersecurity research community to
identify and patch any vulnerabilities
before they can be exploited,” said
Johnny Lyu, KuCoin CEO.
Hacken is a leading cybersecurity
consulting company that provides a
range of services including
penetration testing, bug bounty
programs, and blockchain security
audits. “We are excited to partner
with KuCoin on this critical initiative
19
circumvent issues addressed by the
industry while ensuring that the
intended fiscal and environmental
objectives are not affected.
Details of the structure and date of
implementation of the levy will be
communicated to the industry within
two weeks. - (Source: Ministry of
Finance, National Planning & Trade)
and bring our experience managing
bug bounty programs for major crypto
exchanges,” said Dmytro Budorin,
Hacken Founder & CEO. “Together,
we will work to resolve any
vulnerabilities discovered by the
researchers and ensure that KuCoin is
secure and meets the highest
standards for safety.”
The KuCoin bug bounty program is
now live. Security researchers can
submit reports on any vulnerabilities
t h e y d i s c o v e r a t
https://hackenproof.com/kucoin/. In
July 2022, KuCoin launched the bug
bounty program on the HackenProof
platform with the highest reward of
$5,000 per reported bug.
“Increasing bounty rewards
demonstrates the importance of
security, fostering greater trust and
transparency within the community
and for clients. We are pleased to see
KuCoin establishing a new trend in
prioritizing the security of crypto
exchanges.” said Dmytro Matviiv,
Product Owner of HackenProof
In addition to the bug bounty
program, KuCoin has launched a new
security page to showcase its strong
commitment to providing a safe and
Continued on page 20
20 , 5TH APRIL 2023
KuCoin Launches exchange with its operational
headquarters in Seychelles. As a user-

a $1 million
oriented platform with a focus on
inclusiveness and community action
our users to have peace of mind reach, it offers over 700 digital assets

Bug Bounty while trading on our platform,

knowing that their assets and
personal information are
and currently provides Spot trading,
Margin trading, P2P fiat trading,
Futures trading, staking, and lending
Program on protected. We will continue to
prioritize security and invest in the
to its 27 million users in 207 countries
and regions.

HackenProof tolatest technology and partnerships

with industry leaders like Hacken
ensure the highest level of
In 2022, KuCoin raised over $150
million in investments through a pre-
Series B round, bringing total
Continued from page 19 security for our users." said Johnny investments to $170 million with
Lyu, KuCoin CEO. Round A combined, at a total
secure trading platform for its users. valuation of $10 billion. KuCoin is
The new page features an array of To learn more about KuCoin's
advanced security measures, visit currently one of the top 5 crypto
advanced security measures designed exchanges according to
to protect users' assets and personal our new security page at
CoinMarketCap. Forbes also named
information, giving them peace of mind https://www.kucoin.com/security KuCoin one of the Best Crypto
while trading. . Exchanges in 2023. In 2022, The
“The new security page showcases About KuCoin Ascent named KuCoin the Best Crypto
our dedication to providing a secure Launched in September 2017, App for enthusiasts. – (Source:
trading platform for our users. We want KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency businesswire.com)

Small island nations hail

victory 'for climate justice'
ISLAND nations won
a victory “for climate
justice” last
Wednesday as the
United Nations
adopted a historic
resolution calling for
the International
Court of Justice to
strengthen countries'
obligations to curb
global warming and
protect communities.
The general
assembly resolution asks the court
to pay particular attention to the
harm endured by small island
states.
Scientists say both extreme
weather and sea levels have
worsened because of climate
change caused by the burning of
fossil fuels placing island nations
at particular risk.
UN secretary-general Antonio
Guterres said he hoped the
opinion, when issued, would
encourage nations “to take the
bolder and stronger climate action
that our world so desperately
needs.”
Like many Pacific Island nations,
Vanuatu is at risk of rising seas
engulfing swathes of the islands.
Prime Minister of Vanuatu
Ishmael Kalsakau called the
resolution “a win for climate justice
of epic proportions.”
He reeled off a string of recent
disasters including back-to-back
Category 4 cyclones in his own
country and record-breaking
Cyclone Freddy that refused to leave
south-eastern Africa in recent
weeks.
“Catastrophic and compound
effects like this are growing in
number,” he said.
Saudi Arabia
and Iraq sought to
s o f t e n t h e
resolution, which
was co-sponsored
by some 132
countries, saying it
would increase the
workload of the
international
court.
Youth groups
bolstered the
effort, citing the
need to protect the planet for
current and future generations.
Cynthia Houniuhi of the
Solomon Islands, who is
president of Pacific Islands
Students Fighting Climate
Change, a group involved in
getting the resolution to the
General Assembly, said: “I don't
want to show a picture to my
child one day of my island. I want
my child to be able to experience
the same environment and the
same culture that I grew up in.”
The opinion from the ICJ
would be non-binding on nation-
states. – (Source:
morningstaronline.co.uk)