Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for asking this question. In fact, N.G & Co. Ltd. is owned by Nundun Gopee and Vinash Gopee, who were very, very close to the previous Prime Minister. On the basis of information gathered, N.G & Co. Ltd was awarded the following contracts – (i) A contract awarded by the NHDC Ltd on 29 April 2015 for the construction of 73 Low-Cost Housing Units and Associated Infrastructural Works, and 13 Serviced Plots at Petit Bel Air. The initial amount of the contract was estimated at Rs88 million. However, a final payment of Rs110 million was made to N.G & Co. Ltd to cater for variation works estimated at Rs22 million. I wish to inform the House that N.G & Co. Ltd. had subcontracted the entire work to Pybig Construction Ltd for an amount of Rs76 million. Hence, N.G & Co. Ltd.

24 pocketed the difference, that is, an amount of Rs34 million for a project it acted only as a middleman. This is clearly in violation of the condition of the contract. (ii) Another contract awarded by the NHDC Ltd on 29 September 2016 for the construction of 50 Housing Units and Associated Infrastructural Works at Souillac for a sum of Rs82 million; (iii) On 29 December 2017, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, after an international bidding exercise, awarded the contract for the construction of the New ENT Hospital at Vacoas to a joint venture led by Ramacivil India Construction PVT Ltd and N.G & Co. Ltd. for a sum of Rs926.2 million; (iv) N.G & Co. Ltd. was awarded, on 22 May 2023, through direct procurement, a contract for the design and construction of 800 housing units for a total amount of Rs2.2 billion by the National Social Living Development Ltd. However, on 03 July 2023, NSLD terminated the contract due to failure by the latter to comply with the terms of the Letter of Acceptance and the Conditions of Contract. I am informed that N.G and Co. Ltd, in fact, wanted to subcontract the work again to other companies as it did for previous projects. In addition, Madam Speaker, I must point out that N.G & Co. Ltd. has benefited from various other “largesses”. These include – (i) A sum of Rs 550 million from the MIC for the construction of the Luxury Retirement Village, known as Royal Green. It is worth pointing out that the MIC was supposed to support “systemically large, important and viable corporations or companies incorporated in Mauritius which are financially distressed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic”; (ii) A 3-acre plot of land in Ebene through Landscope, following which, it contracted a loan of Rs600 million from the SBM for a building project on a plot of land retrieved from Mauritius Post Ltd which was the lessee; (iii) At its 7 Exchange Square Building in Ebene, SBM, the very bank that lent money to N.G & Co Ltd., acquired several floors and 50 attached parking slots for Rs283.5 million; (iv) For the same building, 7 Exchange Square, the EDB signed a lease agreement, on 09 August 2019 for 5,000 square metres of office space and 130 parking slots.

25 On 30 May 2024, the EDB signed a second lease agreement for an additional office space of 170 square metres at the ground-floor of the same building and also for 2 additional parking slots. EDB currently pays Rs4,068,000 per month for this rented space. So far, the EDB has paid a total rental amount of Rs104.9 million from December 2022 to date, and a syndic fees of Rs7.2 million; (v) FSC pays Rs5,174,460 per month to N.G & Co. Ltd for the rental of five floors and 135 parking slots at 7 Exchange Square; (vi) a contract between Mauritius Telecom and Royal Green for the provision of medical services by the Royal Green Hospital to employees of MT for an estimated amount of Rs13,038,749 for over three years; (vii) Financial Support from Industrial Finance Corporation Ltd to the tune of Rs64 million to Royal Green Healthcare Ltd; (viii) Mauritius Ports Authority granted a lease of 25 years over a plot of 1-hectare of land in the port area to NG Marine Services Ltd, which is part of the N.G Group of Companies, and (ix) N.G & Co. Ltd. also benefitted from a lease of State land for its luxury villa project, Asmara at Riviere Noire, from which it pocketed hundreds of millions of rupees from the sale of the villas. Madam Speaker, the House may also wish to know that on 15 April 2024, a decision was taken by the then government to relocate the office of the Financial Crimes Commission on the flimsy excuse of infrastructural defects in the building. This was but a ploy to lease the land to N.G & Co Ltd. which had already benefitted from the land retrieved forcibly from the Tamil Cultural Centre. This formed part of the strategy of N.G & Co Ltd to expand its domain over the entire Réduit Triangle with the blessings of the former government. Madam Speaker, let me also add a few words about the land scam initiated by the management of Landscope Ltd in 2019 – a few months before the General Elections. This related to a decision of the Board to allocate 550 acres of prime land in a strategically located area at the heart of Côte d’Or City Project under the Landscope Development Scheme. This project was estimated at more than Rs25 billion. Despite the fact that following an Expression of Interest exercise, 32 developers were deemed eligible to receive plots, the Board, under the leverage of the Cabinet and the then Prime Minister personally, decided to allocate the land to only two companies, out of which, 250 acres were to be given to N.G & Co. Ltd.

26 Madam Speaker, Mr Gerard Sanspeur, the then Chairperson of Landscope vehemently opposed the decision, raising serious concerns about the lack of transparency, fairness and procedural irregularities. He stood firm despite thinly veiled threats for resisting a recommendation of the Cabinet. He insisted that the matter be referred to the State Law Office. Following the advice of the State Law Office, the Board had to rescind the decision, thus aborting what was going to be another scam. Probably, the scam of the century! Shortly after, Mr Sanspeur resigned as Chairperson of the Board and as Principal Adviser to the then Prime Minister. Madam Speaker, the House will recall that just before the general elections last year, a strategic plot of land in the area of Anse La Raie beach was allocated to Luxury Suites Ltd, another entity owned by N.G & Co. Ltd. In view of the major public outcry that followed, he had no choice but to abandon the project. Madam Speaker, if we compute the total figures, N.G & Co. Ltd. has so far benefited around Rs2 billion from various projects, around Rs205 million for rental of office space to government entities, and around Rs1.25 billion as direct financial support from SBM Ltd, the MIC, and the Industrial Finance Corporation Ltd. It should be pointed out, Madam Speaker, that Mr Vinash Gopee chaired several bodies, including – 1) The Tourism Authority; 2) The Mauritius Multisports Infrastructure Ltd ; 3) The Drains Infrastructure Construction Ltd., amongst others. Madam Speaker, all the information I have given to the House show clearly that the MSM government has systematically, since 2015, weaved a cobweb of corruption, malfeasance, nepotism and cronyism to bleed the country of important resources for their personal advantage. This is but one example of how they fleeced the economy, and left the country in the mess that we find ourselves in today.

(Interruptions)

No, I am sorry. Time is up! I am sorry, time is up!

(Interruptions)

27 Time is up, hon. Member! So, ...

(Interruptions)

Next time!

(Interruptions)

Hon. Members, the Table has been advised that PQ B/540, which was coming just after, has been withdrawn. So, we now move to questions addressed to hon. Ministers.

(Interruptions)

I am sorry, hon. Jhummun, but I have to respect – time is up. We will come back! You are still young!

I just wanted to know whether a full inquiry will be undertaken.

You do not have the floor! We now move to questions addressed to hon. Ministers. The hon. Second Member for Belle Rose and Quatres Bornes! COVID-19 PANDEMIC– STC BUILDING – DISINFECTION