Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission |22 November 2019

Commission hears evidence relating to death of Simon Desnousse

The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) yesterday held its first ad hoc hearing in which Delmas Bistoquet provided evidence via Skype in relation to the death of Simon Desnousse, who was allegedly blown up alongside South African Mike Asher in a home-made bomb in October 1982.

Mr Bistoquet, who now resides in Seattle, USA, noted that the evening before he heard of Simon’s death, he was hanging around the shop near the Stevenson Delhomme road, where he and others including Simon would usually gather on the evenings and socialise even after the shop was closed.

On that evening, around 8pm or 8.30pm, he saw the white Toyota Corolla bearing plate number S1122 driving into the Dr Stevenson Delhomme road with Claude Wirtz as the driver. A few minutes later, Simon drove past alone in his white Station Wagon, into the same road.

Twenty (20) minutes later, however, Simon’s car returned and Simon was this time sitting in S1122 in the back middle position with Yvon Bonte to his left, another unidentified person to his right and a further two passengers in the front including Claude Wirtz in the front passenger seat.

Mr Bistoquet mentioned a Mr Commettant as the driver, who apparently used to be the first driver of Geva Rene.

At that point, Simon’s car was being followed by S1122 and they drove back past the shop where Mr Bistoquet was among other friends and exited on the main St Louis road.

He recalls that he thought Simon was just being routinely arrested to be imprisoned as many people were at the time.

According to Mr Bistoquet, he went home and informed his mother of what he had witnessed, only to hear through the local media the next day that Simon had been killed after a home-made bomb exploded in the car in which he and Mike Asher were travelling in, in the southern region of Mahé.

“I never believed the story about Simon being involved with planting a bomb. We saw him being driven past in their custody so when would he have had the time to go and plant the bomb?” Mr Bistoquet questioned.

Mr Bistoquet provided the commission with the names of other persons who witnessed the same thing he did from the shop and claims that he too was being followed and had even been chased by ‘spies’ until with the help of his brother, he eventually departed Seychelles in 1989 on-board a cruise ship for Athens, Greece.

The commission will resume with its second ad hoc session today where it will hear evidence and a complaint at 9am and 10.30am.

Laura Pillay