Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission |15 October 2019

Members of the TRNUC

Commission hears more evidence

Case 0016: Death of Elizabeth, Hoffman

Army captain Jemmy Marengo was the first person to appear before the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) yesterday morning as an alleged suspect in case 0016, a complaint made by Brian Victor and the Elizabeth family with regard to an attack on him (Vidot) along with Michael Hoffman and Sony Elizabeth that occurred on July 21, 1983.

The report before the commission stated that during the attack, Mr Elizabeth and Hoffman died while Victor survived his injuries. The allegations were that Mr Marengo was in the car that drove them to the area where they were attacked by soldiers.

Mr Marengo, who was a private intelligence army officer at that time, said he had no involvement with the outcome of the incident as his duty was only to bring the three persons up to Sans Souci to execute their plan. He noted that he took orders from the late Colonel Claude Vidot, who was in charge of the intelligence section at the exile army camp, and the group was guided to the ordered location and thereafter upon arrival, as ordered, he left the area, leaving the three persons on their own. He noted that he never recalled seeing any soldiers at that time and that he did not know anything as to what happened to the three persons he accompanied until the next day when he heard from his place of work that two people had died and one badly injured in a car accident. He noted that he thought they were only going to be arrested.

Mr Marengo said that Mr Hoffman and a group of other people were planning to overthrow President Albert Rene. He noted that he was approached several times by Hoffman, who knew him very well, to join them in the coup attempt.

He said by playing along with them, they put their trust in him, even though they knew he was an intelligence officer.

He explained that the group wanted to use him to facilitate access of entry in the army camp to collect arms that were supposed to have been hidden by other soldiers, for the stage coup.

The commission wanted to know why an alibi was established by the then Minister of Defence, Ogilvy Berlouis, to the commissioner of police that he, Mr Marengo, was on the outer island the day of the incident. Mr Marengo replied that he knew nothing of such alibi.

He was also asked if he wasn’t involved in any other killings and the reply to the commission was negative as, according to him, his duty was to relay information to his superiors.

Mr Marengo though said he regretted what happened to the two persons who lost their lives but felt relieved at the same time that he helped stop President Rene from being assassinated and possibly deaths of several other people.

Mr Marengo was asked if he was speaking the truth and he said yes.

Case 0022: Death of Berard Jeannie

Donald Bertin (a.k.a Kadede) was the second person before the commission as witness in case 0022 filed by Roch Jeannie related to the death of his brother, police officer Berard Jeannie. In this incident at around 2am on June 5, 1977, Michel Roucou, who was the only other police officer present with Jeannie on the day he was shot in the head, had claimed that Bertin was the person who tied and gagged him up after he had entered the room behind Philip Lucas who was holding a gun.

The commission wanted to know what he knew about the incidents that happened at the Police Mobile Unit (PMU) on the morning of June 5, 1977.

Mr Bertin claimed he was part of the coup d’etat and he was present at PMU in the early morning of June 5, 1977.

He said that guns were already being fired outside in the compound even before he and Philip Lucas entered the room where Roucou and Jeannie were. He noted that Jeannie was already shot in the head when they entered the room. He said it couldn’t have been Lucas who did it as he was behind him and he didn’t see Lucas firing the gun. He further said he had no idea who killed Jeannie.

Mr Bertin claimed that he and another person, Alan Moustache, were the only two persons who were not armed with a gun that day.

Mr Bertin said that after the coup he joined the army as a second Lieutenant and he does not recall of being paid any special pension as he was paid by the army.

Case 0014: Compulsory acquisition of land

Christian Lionnet was requested before the commission as a witness in case 0014 related to a complaint filed by Holden Pierre alleging a parcel of land at Anse Royal which was owned by his father and was going to be transferred to him in his will, was compulsorily acquired by government in the 1980s.

His claim to get the property back has been outstanding since 1992 and it was Mr Lionnet as the Minister for Habitat, Infrastructure and Land Transport who was dealing with the resolution of the case.

The commission asked Mr Lionnet for evidence in relation to this land claim and on his role in resolving the matter and why it is still not resolved.

Mr Lionnet said that the land acquisition issue was resolved as compensation was paid in the mid 80s. He noted though that Mr Pierre came to discuss with him in 2013-2014 on another matter where he also raised the issue of the old house that he built on the land. He acknowledged though that a commitment was made in 2012 to return the house and part of the land on which the house was situated back to Mr Pierre, something which did not materialise.

Mr Lionnet further said that was as far as he could help and further advised the commission to gather more accurate information on the case from files from the ministry or with the special advisor to the Minister, Patrick Lablache, who was summoned to work on the case among other cases of land acquisitions. He also mentioned Raymond Chang-Tave as the other person who could help the commission on land acquisition issues.

Ian Withers did his hearing procedures as a witness via Skype as his name came up as the person who undertook surveillance and other activities on behalf of the one party state government.

Mr Withers, 79 years old, said he was first contacted 1979 in London through a lady in Italy, Angella Richie, who was acting on behalf of her husband Mario Richie, asking for surveillance activities on four Seychellois individuals on a 24/7 period which he agreed.

He noted that the four individuals under surveillance were James Mancham, Paul Chow, Gerard Hoareau and a certain gentleman called James Michel whom he was shocked to learn who the gentleman was.

Mr Withers further said he was put into contact with the Seychelles authorities and with further meetings with President France Albert Rene in 1980, he continued among other services to gather surveillance information for the government on anti-government activists, background checks on foreign investors and journalists coming to Seychelles, among others. He said such information recorded included the placing of bombs, burning of SPTC buses and bomb scare on board Air Seychelles among others to disrupt the everyday activity of the Seychelles government.

Apart from physical surveillance, the job also entailed the tapping of telephone lines and bugging of rooms. He noted that he was shocked to learn the murder of Gerard Hoareau in 1985 whom he had been spying on since the beginning. He said he was bothered by the presence, if by coincidence, of the Seychelles Minister for Defence, Ogilvy Berlouis, who was in London on the day of the murder and who left the next day.

Mr Withers acknowledged that he knew nothing of the murder as he was in Seychelles at that time. He also said he even up to now does not know who shot Mr Hoareau. He noted that his contract with the Seychelles ended in 1986 after the murder of Mr Hoareau. He said that because some people knew that he was doing the surveillance job, he was implicated in the murder of Mr Hoareau which at one time he had to come and live in Seychelles with his family for fear of being arrested in England in connection with the murder. He and his family returned to Northern Ireland in 1992.

As the case is still ongoing, Mr Withers said that in 2018 his house was raided and he was arrested in connection with the case and interrogated for 24 hours before being released as there was no evidence to connect him to the murder. He noted that during the time he was contacted for surveillance work with the Seychelles government he was never at any point in time asked to eliminate anybody apart from giving surveillance training to some security personnel.

Case 007: Angelin Labiche

Bernadette Port-Louis as the personal assistant to the late President France Albert Rene and prior to that his personal secretary came to the commission to provide clarification on the proceeds of funds raised from the farm at Exile and Barbarons Army camps which Mr Angelin Labiche in his case 007 alleges the money went to the wife of the late president.

Ms Port-Louis said it was not true that the proceeds from the farm were going to the wife of the late president as the cheque from the sales of items were sent directly to her and she personally banked the money at Nouvobanq in the Army Construction Account. She pointed out the account was managed by herself and the late president and co-signed also by the late Colonel Vidot. She said the account was not audited.

She also said that the aim of putting up the farm was to provide the soldiers with extra skills apart from military. She noted that the Army Construction was set up to help build houses for soldiers in need of houses and the company also employed civilian labour.

Ms Port-Louis, who said she had never been to the farm, explained the money was reinvested in the farm, pay for the vet services or at times used to buy some equipment for the army and also as a sign of encouragement, a R500 bonus from the account was awarded to soldiers who did not miss work. She said the soldiers were aware of the bonus schemes.

Case 0017: Paul Chow gives further evidence

Paul Chow appeared for the second time before the commission as complainant and witness in case 0017. The commission wanted his reactions following evidence given on him by Ian Withers earlier on Skype of his (Mr Chow’s) involvement in activities with the opposition in exile. The commission also wanted to know what he knew on the gentleman in relation to the murder of Gerard Hoareau who was assassinated in November 1985.

Mr Chow said that Mr Withers was only very good at embellishing his importance than he really was in the hearing. He said from his information, Mr Withers was in London the day before Gerard Hoareau was assassinated. He left London the same night for Seychelles.

He said Mr Hoareau took eleven bullets from the machine gun and from the information the gunner was not a white person. He noted that from Mr Withers’ testimony, it was the first time he learned that Ogilvy Berlouis was in London at the time of the assassination.

Mr Chow though noted that Mr Withers possibly doesn’t know who did the killing but he knew that Mr Hoareau was going to be murdered because the reason was to get every movement of Mr Hoareau so as to plan the exact moment for the assassination. He said from the day Mr Withers set foot in Seychelles prior to the assassination, he never went back to England and he stayed until 1992 when he went to Ireland.

Mr Chow said he knew about the events surrounding Mr Withers through newspapers and also through a Scotland Yard agent who came in Seychelles to gather information relating to the murder of Mr Hoareau.

Mr Chow said that Mr Withers gave Italian investor Mario Richie record as a successful businessman but they found out that he spent nine months in prison for dealing in counterfeit money. He came to Seychelles in 1974 and set up a construction company.

He said Mr Richie was a close friend to Mr Hoareau but presumed he was involved also with his assassination due to him ending the friendship abruptly eight months before Mr Hoareau was assassinated on the grounds that he was protecting his businesses in Seychelles.

On the Simon Denousse incident, Mr Chow said that Denousse and Mike Asher did not die from the explosion of a bomb they were making as reported but were picked up, tortured and killed before being blown up in their car. He noted that it seems from information gathered, another person, presumably a soldier who went missing, was also blown up along with them.

Mr Chow is expected to appear again before the commission in November.