Authorities investigating leaked De Giorgio Conditional Pardon Order |30 November 2022
The Conditional Pardon Order signed by President Wavel Ramkalawan relating to Abison De Giorgio is an authentic document, although investigations are under way to uncover how exactly it was leaked.
The order, dated November 25, 2022, has been circulating on social media since Tuesday evening.
It grants Mr De Giorgio a conditional pardon, and orders that he be placed under the supervision of a probation officer for seven months, up until June 2023.
De Giorgio, a former complaints and communications manager of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Seychelles (ACCS), was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and a fine of R75,000 by the Supreme Court on December 7, 2018, on different counts of corruption.
The three counts of corruption included extortion, disclosing sensitive information, and corruptly soliciting gratification in exchange for delaying an ongoing investigation on former Minister Dolor Ernesta.
As per the order, made in accordance with Article 60 (1) (a) of the Seychelles Constitution, De Giorgio is to abide by seven stipulated conditions, namely good behaviour, leading an honest and productive life, reporting to the nearest police station on a weekly basis, and 100 hours of community service. He is bound by the conditions of the order, and is to be committed to prison in the event of a breach.
Seychelles NATION attempted to gain more information on the order but was informed by the Superintendent of Prisons Raymond St Ange that he would not be making any comments while the investigation is ongoing to discover the source of the leak.
Charges were brought against Mr De Giorgio following a complaint to the police by Mr Ernesta who complained that on December 28, 2017, he had received an anonymous letter in which he was advised that he was under investigation for acts of corruption by the ACCS and that if he gave a ‘little gift’, the process of investigation would be delayed.
Mr Ernesta claimed that he then received a telephone call on January 11, 2018 in which a male voice with a Latino accent had spoken to him and had asked him whether he had received a second letter with the details of the ‘little gift’. Subsequently, he phoned his daughter who confirmed that she had indeed collected the letter; the contents of which were to the effect that US $30,000 were to be transferred by instalment into a bank account to be specified.
On January 15, 2018, Mr Ernesta claims to have received yet another phone call from a caller who had the same voice as the first caller and who identified himself as Stephen Rea, asking him whether the ‘deal’ was on or off.
De Giorgio was subsequently arrested and remained on remand from February 2018, until his conviction and sentencing.
In the August 2020 session, De Giorgio partly succeeded in his appeal against sentence, although his appeal against conviction on all counts were dismissed. The appeal was allowed with regard to count 5, with court imposing a term of 2 years’ imprisonment and a fine of R25,000, in default of payment of the fine, 6 months’ imprisonment. The Supreme Court had initially sentenced him to five years imprisonment for disclosing sensitive information.
Laura Pillay