FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister of Mauritius and candidate for the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) Pravind Jugnauth and his wife Kobita Jugnauth arrive to vote at a polling centre during the Mauritian general election in Vacoas/Floreal, Mauritius November 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ally Soobye/File Photo
PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - A court in Mauritius has released former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on bail following his arrest on charges of money laundering, a magistrate at the court said.
Jugnauth was arrested on Sunday after detectives from the state-run Financial Crimes Commission searched his home, among other locations, to find and seize 114 million Mauritius rupees ($2.5 million).
"He (Jugnauth) shall not interfere directly or indirectly with any witness or potential witness," Rishan Chineah, the magistrate at the bail and remand court in the capital, Port Louis, said on Sunday.
The magistrate also barred Jugnauth from communicating about the case with anyone, except for investigation authorities or the court itself, and ordered him to appear on Monday to complete the bail process.
Jugnauth's lawyer, Raouf Gulbul, told reporters his client denied the charges.
Jugnauth was provisionally charged with money laundering, the director of public prosecution told the court in a charge sheet.
In November, Mauritius' new Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam announced an audit of public finances days after questioning the accuracy of some government data compiled by the previous administration.
Last month, the country's former central bank governor was detained and released on bail after being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.
An Indian Ocean archipelago, Mauritius is an offshore financial centre that markets itself as a link between Africa and Asia.
($1=46.1700 Mauritius rupees)
(Reporting by Villen Anganan; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Clarence Fernandez)
