TRNUC hears two witnesses |03 July 2020

The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission yesterday heard evidence from only two witnesses, scheduled in the afternoon in its 82nd hearing session.

Case 0151: Adeline family

Macky Isnard was called in as a witness before the commission in reference to a fire at the residence of the Adeline family on Praslin in the 1970s. The case was brought before the commission by the Adeline children.

Mr Isnard was named in the evidence given by a member of the family, Pascal Adeline, as the person who, along with two other persons, burned down the family house at Anse Kerlan in the mid-1970s. He had claimed that the fire was as a result of hostilities between his father, Bertie Adeline, and former President France Albert Rene.

Pascal Adeline also stated in his evidence that following the conviction of Jean Albest (who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the fire incident, he (Isnard) came to his (Adeline) home one day with former President James Mancham, to ask for forgiveness.

In responding to the allegation, Mr Isnard, who claimed he was around 16 years old at that time, said it was not him who started the fire but his colleague, Mr Albest, as he wanted to seek revenge. He explained that it all started with Mr Bertie Adeline allowing Mr Albest to live in a house on his property but unfortunately things did not go well between the two and after some time Mr Albest being kicked out of the property.

He added that as he was also living with him (Albest) at that time, he also had to move out and they got to move into another house near the shore.

Mr Isnard said after a few days living in their new home, they were rounded up by the police on suspicion that they had started the fire at the Adeline house. He said they were brought to Mahe, along with a third suspect (a Mr Jumaye) to be tried and former President Albert Rene, who was a lawyer at that time, represented them.

He alleged that it was Mr Rene who asked Mr Albest to plead guilty to the charge on the basis that he (Mr Rene) will win the election and will get him out of prison which he (Mr Rene) did. He added that Mr Albest did only two years out of his 10-year prison sentence. He further added that though he (Albest) was told to plead guilty, he was in fact guilty as he was the one who started the fire as an act of revenge for being kicked out of the property on which he had been doing some farming.

TRNUC chairperson Gabrielle McIntyre then read out that it was not Mr Isnard who went to the Adeline family to ask for forgiveness, but it was Mr Jumaye.

She added that according to Pascal Adeline, when Mr Jumaye came to their home, he (Mr Jumaye) accused Mr Isnard of setting their house on fire and putting poison in their water container at Mr Rene’s request.

Mr Isnard refuted allegations that it was Mr Rene who was the mastermind of the fire on the basis of political rivalry between him and Mr Bertie Adeline.

“It is not true,” he said, noting that Mr Albest confessed as the one responsible for the fire which happened in an old house and not the house that was mentioned in which the Adeline family was living.

Mr Isnard claimed that he never knew Mr Rene before until he represented them in court. He presumed that he was arrested because he was living with Mr Albest. He stated that he had no idea as to why Mr Jumaye was arrested and added that both Messrs Albest and Jumaye have since passed away.

Case 0104: Bernard Racombo

Former police officer Bernard Racombo appeared before the commission in relation to evidence he gave previously in connection with his involvement in resistance activities while he was in exile in the United Kingdom. The commission wanted to know more about his involvement.

Mr Racombo said it was a Seychellois, Mr Verlaque, whom he first met in 1986, who introduced him to other British and Seychellois nationals in a resistance group, dressed in police uniforms and who were planning a military coup to overthrow President France Albert Rene.

He added that if the coup had gone ahead as planned, his role would have been ‘head aid’ to the president in waiting, David Joubert.

He claimed that at that time, he could not distinguish if the uniforms were authentic police uniforms. He also said he was not even aware that a picture that he had taken with the resistance group appeared in the Sunday Times newspaper until one of his friends who was seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom told him about it.

Mr Racombo noted that he was not part of the organisation of the military coup, did not attend meetings and did not know who was financing the coup as he was mostly on the sideline.

He said that after the coup was aborted he continued with his life, therefore putting an end to his ambition to join other resistance groups to overthrow the Seychelles government.

He also took the opportunity to refute allegations in relation to his police work and his victimisation complaints made by Solano Savy, also a former police officer, and Rolly Marie, a former high ranking army officer, in the evidence they gave.

Patrick Joubert