Monday, June 26, 2017

FORMER MINISTER DUGASSE LAND SCANDAL


On the 2nd June 2011, two days after a cabinet reshuffle whereby Jacquelin Dugasse was made to retire from public service as Land Minister, Dugasse was given a 99 years lease on over 3000 sq meters of prime land at Roche Caiman next to where Intelvision is situated. The former minister was accorded the property without going through the tender process as is required by law. This has been the hallmark of this government when it comes to top officials of Parti Lepep acquiring government land.



Dugasse, now the new CEO of the James Michel foundation, acquired the lease on V17664 through JaMar Properties Limited. The conditions of his lease on the land are spelt out clearly in the transfer document. There is no annual or monthly fee stipulated in the agreement, so a monthly fee of SR2020 can be derived from the stated lump sum over the 99 years. The property is still undeveloped in 2017. There is no evidence that the agreement has been fully complied with; there is a strong possibility that Dugasse is waiting to cash in on his investment by selling his lease to some rich foreigner. This will be another unfortunate episode in the sad state of affairs concerning State land in Seychelles.