SEYCHELLES REALITY

THE ROAD TO UNITY IS LONG BUT POSSIBLE!!! The theme of unity has once again surfaced. With it, have come different expressions, ranging from satisfaction, anger, disappointment and sheer indifference. When Mr. Bernard Georges, a member of the SNP Executive Committee introduced the book of speeches of Mr. Michel, many old diverse sentiments were stirred back into life, showing one thing: The damage that the one party system and the continued political segregation of the people of Seychelles by the present regime, was very much alive across political lines. The acceptance by Mr. Georges to deliver a speech aroused much anger and confusion among opposition supporters. Given the recent past of seeing so many turncoats, the biggest question on the lips of so many was: "Has Bernard Georges left the SNP to become a member of Parti Lepep???" The answer is "NO"..... But what do we learn from such doubts and questions. I guess that question was fol...

The oldie fellows who have been hell bent to block new blood and fresh ideas are coming home to roost in the opposition to the point that now in SUP elderly Colonel Robert Ernesta ex Rene man has taken over SUP. Be that as it may, we wish you well Colonel Ernesta in your career as leader of the S.U.P. and Editor of Weekly. I hope you can get the sales back up to 3,500 per week where I took it from 700 a week. Ah yes, after I left it was all down hill…eventually back to 700 a week. Oldies and Fuddies The Oldies are doing it in total disarray again, each taking a swallow from the poison chalice of stupidity to bow down, and bow out, and off the stage in people’s minds and hearts one by one. They do not leave gracefully, that I will give them. The generation of 1990’s politicians most came out late from the 1970’s and 1980’s which I was the youngest 27 back in 1992 (on time) on my return before James Mancham returned to Seychelles April 12, 1992, have all stepped and crushed the...

"The real news from Seychelles No Credits From State House" VICTORIA, April 23 (BERNAMA-NNN- Xinhua) -- Seychelles News Agency, the national news agency of the Indian Ocean island country, has been launched, a press release from Seychelles' Department of Information said. Seychelles News Agency will give daily "as -it-happens" news and features focusing on the islands' environment, defense and maritime security, energy, tourism and business development, news and views from other Indian Ocean islands and key African events, according to the press release. The agency is funded by the Department of Information of the Government of Seychelles and has a partnership for world news with Xinhua. "We are fully engaged in world affairs to fight climate change, as well as ensuring peace and security in the Indian Ocean and East Africa. We want to show the world how a small island state can be a model for sustainable development. "The Se...

NEW YORK--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Craig Weiner, Esq. of Hofheimer Gartlir & Gross LLP and Avi Pawar of Aspect Law, on behalf of multiple clients they are representing in lawsuits alleging financial piracy by the Republic of Seychelles, today released the text of a letter sent to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The letter calls for an investigation into the Republic of Seychelles sponsorship of “international financial piracy on a massive scale.” The complete text of the letter to the International Criminal Court follows below. A copy of the letter, in addition to three Complaints filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York relating to this matter have been provided to the International Criminal Court and also forwarded to the International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank. International Criminal Court Office of th...

Declan Barber Privacy within the business sector can be a difficult subject. On one hand, everyone wants confidentiality for their own finances. On the other, sometimes people need information about outright corruption and fraud to come out. This is true both for a company running a scam, and for the oversight processes which are supposed to prevent it from happening. A prime example of this can be seen with the FIU ( Financial Intelligence Unit) in Seychelles. Many people who use the service simply assume that they're a government agency. In fact, it's quite possible that the FIU intentionally pushes that image into the public sector. The FIU operates, essentially, by doing very little until they're specifically contacted about a company. Now, most people would assume that the next step would be actual investigation into the nature of the company . Instead, the FIU dips into the financial records of the company. The hope is that the company will ha...

Speaking on Swiss public radio, chief prosecutor Michael Lauber said the transfer of the funds had been made possible thanks to the cooperation of Tunisia's new authorities. The Swiss launched their investigation after Tunisia filed a request for legal assistance alleging that ill-gotten gains had been hidden in the Alpine country. The Ben Ali family still has the option of contesting the money's handover by filing an appeal at the Swiss supreme court. Ben Ali's January 2011 ouster after a groundswell of demonstrations marked the start of the Arab Spring. He has since gained asylum in Saudi Arabia while his son-in-law Sakher El Materi, once considered a potential successor, has fled to the Seychelles. A World Bank report last month detailed the family's grip on the economy during Ben Ali's 23-year reign. It found 220 companies owned by family members, accounting for 21 percent of net private sector profits in Tunisia, with regulations often ta...

The International Monetary Fund has pledged about $18 billion in loans to help stabilize Ukraine's beleaguered economy. That amount is a fraction of the $35 billion that Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says is needed from the international community to avert a default over the next two years. It shouldn't be this way. Ukraine's financing hole is itself only a fraction of the loot former President Viktor Yanukovych, his family and close personal allies are accused of embezzling: $20 billion of the national gold reserves and a further $70 billion funneled to offshore entities around the world. The recovery of even a small part of these national assets would go a long way toward covering the financing shortfall, and could avert the need to implement punishing austerity measures . Unfortunately, recent cases -- including Nigeria and countries that experienced the Arab Spring such as Egypt and Tunisia -- demonstrate that gaps in global collaboratio...

  Recently the Seychelles presented a Bill to the National Assembly which will make it a crime to traffic humans for sex, labor and slavery. The Bill long over due, was presented by the Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Joel Morgan. Minister Morgan Said False Not In Seychelles Minister Morgan has traditionally been the Minister who has vehemently denied allegations by the US State Department and the United Nations Committee on Human Trafficking and Human Rights, that Seychelles is being used as a base for Human Trafficking. Mr. Morgan has called the allegations FALSE and based on RUMORS. Tier III Sanctions Coming   In spite of Minister Morgan's denial, the US State Department has placed Seychelles under Tier II warning Tier to come into compliance and implement legislation and a program to combat human trafficking in Seychelles. The Tier II placement is running now for Two(2) years, and Tier III SANCTIONS are very likely to follow. SBC Denial A...

12 April 2014 The Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has launched a subcommittee to represent the specific needs of the Praslin business community. The five-member board, which is comprised of Christopher Gill, William Rose, Miette Godley, Adrian Uzice and Nigel Hoareau, aims to improve the business environment and lend assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating on the inner island. “Despite Praslin being a key component of the national economy, businesses there tend to feel that their needs are either overlooked or come secondary to those on Mahé,” says Marco Francis, the Chairman of SCCI. In order to overcome those challenges and encourage entrepreneurism on Praslin, the Chamber firmly believes that the nation needs more transparent and equitable policies across the islands. Launching the subcommittee on Friday, Mr Francis urged Praslinois to consider applying for membership to the Chamber and supporting its drive to improve the ease of doing busi...

It is approaching Two (2) years now, that VAT (Value Added Tax) is in force in the tiny authoritarian republic in the Indian Ocean Seychelles. Each year, the government collects more and more revenue, bursting a budget ceiling last year of over Five (5) Billion Seychelles Rupees. Late last year, the People’s Communist National Assembly (One party State apparatus still in place in practice) passed without opposition a budget and a huge salary emoluments bill that will double salaries of politicians-active and non active, in the month of June 2014 when the Seychelles Communist Party PL will celebrate 50 years of existence, though it has changed its name numerous times, to keep ahead of the murdered, the disappeared under the current logo at the time. The VAT ATTACK On Business and Citizen Alike Most Communist countries insure the workers own all systems of production through STATE OWNERSHIP of all the means, apparatus of economic production. During the One Party state this traditio...

Recently, Minister Joel Morgan went on SBC to give accolades to the Air Seychelles- Etihad management, for registering a 117% increase in profits, jumping from $1 Million in 2012, to $3 Million plus in 2013. An incredible feat, and believable to me, given that Air Seychelles in that time, flew directly mostly to Abu Dhabi then hooked a Hong Kong leg Three (3) times a week to Abu Dhabi, mostly, for air access for Etihad. The real story is on the ground right here in Seychelles. While Air Seychelles did 117% overall in profit, the Domestic segment which plies Mahe –Praslin petered about with only a 9% increase in passenger load, from the past year, mostly Etihad inbound clients. This number is particularly alarming when you consider that Minister St. Ange is claiming a year on year increase in Arrivals by 12%.  What this means, is that Arrivals, are avoiding Air Seychelles Domestic. Why would they be doing that, Papa-Wappa? Unpredictable Ticket Pricing Most of the time, whe...

Air Seychelles has registered a net profit of US$3 million for 2013, exceeding by 171per cent its profit of US$1.1 million reported in 2012.Revenue increased by 107 per cent to US$88.7 million (2012: US$42.8 million). The airline’s passenger numbers on its international network increased 100per cent to 195,857 (2012:97,576), while traffic on domestic services in 2013 increased nine per cent to 156,617 passengers. Joël Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport and Air Seychelles Board Chairman, said the 2013 results were a testament to the on-going success of the airline’s turnaround strategy and business plan. “To record a second successive year of profitability after the immense challenges of the past is an achievement of which we are all very proud.  Our 2013 figures are a clear indication that we now have the right business model. “In just two years, we have rebuilt our national carrier, strengthened our partnership with Etihad Airways, a...

Air Seychelles’ net profit in 2013 stood at USD three million, exceeding that of the previous year by 171 per cent. Revenue increased on year by 107 per cent to USD 88.7 million. The airline’s passenger numbers on its international network increased 100 per cent to 195,857 in 2013, while traffic on domestic services increased nine per cent to 156,617 passengers last year, as per a release. Joël Morgan, Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, Seychelles and Board Chairman, Air Seychelles, said the 2013 results were a testament to the ongoing success of the airline’s turnaround strategy and business plan. “To record a second successive year of profitability after the immense challenges of the past is an achievement of which we are all very proud. Our 2013 figures are a clear indication that we now have the right business model,” Morgan said. Manoj Papa, CEO, Air Seychelles, said, “These results are another step forward in our journey as a commercially successful busines...

Apr 09, 2014 A senior management team from Germany’s Condor, a leading leisure airline, was in the Seychelles capital of Victoria last weekend to discuss future cooperation between them and the archipelago’s tourism industry. Condor, as have other airlines flying to Mahe done before, followed an invitation by the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan to discuss airlines’ challenges and the expectations they have, and following meetings at the ITB 2014 last month in Berlin between airline executives and the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange and his key team members, this latest exchange of views in the Seychelles was seen as hugely important to map out future cooperation. Also in attendance at the Victoria meeting, besides ministry representatives, were key personnel of the Seychelles Tourism Board, the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, from Air Seychelles – which provides ground handling at the international airport to all airline...

On Saturday, 23 November, 1996, the Chief Reporter of The Independent, Steve Boggan, stumbled upon an issue concerning the Rwanda Genocide, that missed the culpability of numerous members of the Seychelles Government. Had Mr. Boggan gotten a few facts correct, the International Courts of Justice, would have sent investigators to Seychelles before the dawn of the Millennium. Mr. Boggan came very close indeed but missed the mark, just a little. 80 Tons of Weapons in Seychelles In the first paragraph of the article, he says,” For once, it appeared a UN arms embargo had worked. A Ship, the Malo, carrying 80 tons of weapons bound for troubled Somalia, had been seized by the Government of the Seychelles”. The error of fact, in this article is this: The “Malo” was not seized by the Government of Seychelles per se. The Maria or the Malo at the time, the Constitution of the Third Republic was being drafted. The Port Authority called in to James Michel who sat directly acr...

The USA State Department Deputy Director for Africa has said : “there are no further programs for Republic of Seychelles, aside from those programs already in operation like the fight against Piracy”. This ground shaking declaration has come the same day State Department Deputy for Africa announced that: “ the Public Orders Act (POA) -2013, passed by the Government of Seychelles is too over reaching, and violates numerous Fundamental Human Rights and must be revoked or amended”. SFP BOYCOTTED The Bad Deal SFP walked out on the bogus Electoral Reform process when the POA was discussed by PL in a bull dozer mode reminiscent of the last days of the One Party State Era. Specifically, the PL failed to keep its promises made at the house keeping introductory meetings with all parties, to send its leadership for a full open and Public negotiation on the matter similar to the Constitutional Conference wherein SPPF was led by France Albert Rene. After breaking their promise, the P...