TRNUC resumes hearings in new location |05 November 2019
The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) resumed its series of hearings yesterday morning at its new premises at Ile Persévérance.
The commission’s new office is located on the first floor of the new building opposite the Ramajayan shop, on Josephine Cafrine Road.
The commission will hear 32 cases this month.
Case 0017: death of Simon Desnousse and Mike Asher
Paul Chow, who is not new to the commission, was the first person to appear in the first session as a complainant in case 0017 where he left off in the October sessions in relation to the death of Seychellois Simon Desnousse and South African Mike Asher.
Mr Chow said that Mr Desnousse, who formed part of the local resistance group, which was affiliated with the ‘Mouvement pour la Resistance (MPR), ran by Mr Chow himself and the late Gerard Hoareau, was charged with disrupting the activities of the Albert Rene government through placing bombs at certain places thus to create enough noise to bring to the attention of the world that people in Seychelles were resisting the system in place.
He noted that Mr Desnousse was having the assistance of bomb expert, Mr Asher to fabric the bombs using explosives that were to come via the post from South Africa but the explosives were intercepted after the person who was supposed to collect the parcel had warned the authority.
Contrary to what the authority had said in the past that the two individuals were blown up in the car while they were fabricating a bomb, Mr Chow said that to his knowledge on information gathered, Mr Desnousse and Mr Asher were picked up and brought to the L’Exile Army camp where they were tortured and killed.
He said that soldiers who did manage to talk said they had recognised the two individuals in the car accompanied by a Seychellois and Tanzanian soldiers as they passed through the gate at L’Exile.
Mr Chow said he believes that the two were already dead when their bodies, along with that of a soldier, believed to be Andrew Pouponneau, who he presumed was badly assaulted by the late Ogilvy Berlouis, were placed in the car of Mr Desnousse’s father and blown up at Anse Forbans.
He noted that he knew of the three skulls instead of two from a report by Mr Asher’s girlfriend who saw the remains and also from people at the mortuary who spoke about the incident which happened shortly after the army mutiny.
Mr Chow said that his movement, the MPR, had no ties with the army rebellion.
Compulsory acquisition of house
Marie-Thérèse Abbot was the next complainant before the commission in relation to the compulsory acquisition of her house in the 1980s. Her house was returned to her later but she was not compensated by government for loss of earnings as she was renting her house at the time of compulsory acquisition.
She said she left the country shortly after the coup d’etat to follow her American husband who was posted in Hawaii.
Mrs Abbot told the commission that her uncle was occupying the house at Baie Lazare until it was rented out to a Belgium guy. She noted that she was notified of the acquisition through her bank after the rents were not being transferred in the account.
She further explained that she had to make several trips to Seychelles to fight for the return of her property, which the Belgium occupant was not taking good care of, and finally got it back recently from government.
Mrs Abbot, who rented her house for R2500 at that time, is seeking for the return of the renting fees collected by government during the acquisition period, compensation for the expenses she made and also for the suffering she endured while fighting for the return of her property.
Even though she had forgiven the Minister for Land at that time, Jacques Hodoul, whom she said “had maliciously acquired her house”, Mrs Abbot still wants the ailing former minister to also seek forgiveness from the Lord for making her life and other people’s lives miserable.
Case 122: Killing of Berard Jeannie
Retired police officer Alix Payet was mentioned in Case 122 by Roch Jeannie in relation to the assassination of his brother Berard Jeannie on June 5, 1977. Mr Jeannie had claimed that his brother could have been alive had he not changed his work shift with Mr Payet who was going to a wedding.
Mr Payet said that he did not change his work shift with Mr Jeannie to go to any wedding. He said that they both were doing their normal scheduled shifts. He noted that Jeannie was actually doing his shift which was from midnight to 8am on Sunday June 5 and he was on his shift from 8am to 4pm on Saturday June 4, 1977.
Mr Payet said he was not aware that a coup was about to take place and he learned about it on the radio the next day. He said that he was shocked to learn about the death of Jeannie with whom he had a very close working relationship. He noted that he doesn’t have any knowledge of who could have killed Jeannie and furthermore he was not part of the coup and had never been approached to form part of the coup even though he knew some people who were involved in it.
Death of Davidson Chang-Him
Yvon Evenor was another witness before the commission for his involvement in the coup d’etat in relation to the death of Davidson Chang-Him on June 5, 1997 in reference with case 0001 Dorothy Chang-Him.
Mr Evenor, who was part of the coup, said at first he never knew a coup was about to take place but only learned about it when he was brought to Albert Rene’s house at Sans Souci that day. He said it was the late colonel Claude Vidot who brought him to Mr Rene’s house for the coup meeting and preparation. He noted that some of the other guys who were there also did not know that a coup was being planned until it was announced by Mr Rene.
The taxi driver said that he was shown how to use a gun for the first time that same day. He also said that they were given a white pill by Mr Rene for extra force but denied that any alcohol and injections were administered.
On the death of Mr Chang-Him, Mr Evenor said that he learned of his death at around 6pm that evening and it was also then that he also learned that it was Phillipe D’Offay, a taxi driver also, who shot him. He further said that he did not hear any premeditated incitement by Mr D’Offay to harm Mr Chang-Him which he was not denying but presumed that the order could have come from the top as he did not hear Mr D’Offay say anything.
Mr Evenor admitted that he was part of the team in the land rover, along with Phillipe D’Offay, who went to search for Mr Chang-Him but does not remember about his son being kidnapped. He said that he had not been briefed by anybody on what to say or not to say before the commission. He noted that after the coup he continued with his taxi business.
Case 122: cancellation of Roch Jeannie’s butcher’s shop
The commission had requested Andre Pool as a witness in case 122 of Roch Jeannie who claimed the cancellation of his butcher’s shop license even though the late President France Albert Rene had ordered that the license is given back to him some five years after the cancellation.
Mr Pool, as the National Assembly member for the Anse Boileau district at that time, said that he never had any conversation with President Rene on issues relating to the license of Mr Jeannie’s butcher’s shop. He said he was briefed by Mr Jeannie on his project and his project got to materialise but he later learned from the late principal secretary for Agriculture, Finley Racombo, that the license was revoked on account of Mr Jeannie doing commercial activities on agricultural land without the permission from the Ministry of Agriculture. As a policy of the Ministry of Agriculture then, no commercial activities were allowed on agricultural land apart from cultivation of crops and rearing of animals.
Mr Pool noted that since Mr Jeannie was not entirely to be blamed for constructing his butcher’s shop on the agricultural land due to some misunderstanding between the various departments concerned, an option to survey that part of the property and to make it a commercial area was put on the table and he got his license back.
Mr Pool said that in his opinion, there were no malicious motivations by former President Rene to hurt Mr Jeannie and he noted that Mr Jeannie boasted about his frequent visits to State House. He said that it was Mr Jeannie himself who decided later to cease the operation of his butcher’s shop.
In relation to the same case 122, Willy Confait as the witness said he was instructed by the licensing board for an inspection visit at Mr Jeannie’s butcher’s shop around September 1999, along with the Environmental Health Department, to check the suitability to operate the shop.
He noted that the joint report revealed that the premises was suitable for the activity and Mr Jeannie was eventually granted back his license that same month. Mr Confait stated that Mr Jeannie operated his butcher’s shop until 2008 when he decided to stop.
Mr Confait said that Mr Jeannie was not leasing the land in the first place and it was later when the piece of land was classified as commercial land that a lease was granted to him.
Case 056: murder of Sonny Elizabeth
The last person to appear before the commission was Timothy Volcère named in case 056 by William Elizabeth in a complaint filed by the Elizabeth family before the commission concerning the murder of their brother Sonny Elizabeth on July 22, 1983.
Sonny, along with Michael Hofmann and Brian Victor, was taken to Sans Souci and beaten up by soldiers and then put back into the car which was pushed down a ravine. Only Mr Victor survived the incident.
Attempts to cover up the murder indicated that their injuries were the result of a car accident and Mr Volcère, working as a state spy, was named as the person who came to the exposed body of Sonny and had a conversation with his mother.
Mr Volcère said that he knew the Elizabeth family very well as he stayed close by and the reason for his presence among the family was to present his condolences. He further said he was not present among the family to try to cover up the murder by telling them it was a car accident, which he, himself, had no knowledge of.
He said he had nothing to do with state security as had been claimed and had never worked as a spy. He further said he did not remember if he paid his respects at the mortuary or at the family house and that he learned of the incident on the radio.
Mr Volcère said that he worked as a free-lancer in different jobs and he does not know why he was labelled as ‘Timothy the spy’. He said he was never in the militia and never collected information for state. He noted though that he was called to State House in 1984 by former President France Albert Rene to look after his car and this was how he got to make the frequent visits to the place for three consecutive years.
Basil Bouchereau in case 0028 in relation to the buying of audio CDs of Allen Ernesta, did not appear before the commission again and a warning of greater consequences has been issued to him by the commission if he ever fails again to appear before the commission.
The session continues today with a key testimony via Skype by former President James Michel.
The chairperson of the commission, Gabrielle Louise McIntyre, has launched an appeal to the people of Seychelles to support his participation in the commission’s processes as he is uniquely place to give evidence about the coup d’etat and the one party state that followed.
Mrs Mclntyre asked everyone to be respectful about his participation on social media.
Mrs Mclntyre reinstated the commission’s mandate in relation to allegations of human rights violations related to the coup d’etat of June 5, 1977, noting that the commission will determine the truth of those allegations, create an objective public record of those violations, help bridge division caused by any violations, provide closure to the victims and perpetrators of those violations, provide appropriate remunerations to victims, provide appropriate rehabilitation of victims and perpetrators and also whether or not to provide amnesty.
She noted that the objective of the commission is to unite the people of Seychelles.
Patrick Joubert
