Ahmed Afif Feeling the Heat
in government is being scrutinized and questioned. Afif is the deputy leader of the Lalyans
Seselwa and also one of the leaders of the LDS. He has been penciled into represent
LDS in the safe seat of Anse Etoile which is also the most populated electoral district
in the Country.
Ahmed Afif is also likely to be the de-facto leader of LDS when Wavel Ramkalawan
is struck off the electoral register for admitting electoral fraud under oath. That will make
Afif the first Muslim leaderof a political party in Seychelles, which will be a historic
occasion, proving that the Seychellois People fully embrace religious tolerance.
Ahmed Afif’s claim to fame is that he was the number two to VP Danny Faure
in the Ministry of Finance when the country was bankrupt in 2008. Afif was the
intelligent face of the regime with regular appearances on television defending
questionable decisions and re-assuring the population that all was ok when it
clearly was not. He was the man who was writing the rosy budget speeches
even when the country was going bankrupt under his watch.
Before being appointed as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Finance,
Afif was in charge of Seychelles International Business Authority (SIBA).
During his stewardship of SIBA, he came into contact with many wealthy
foreign businessmen wishing to open offshore accounts in Seychelles. Some
of them were dubious characters whose sole purpose was to white wash their
money and a lot of them did just that.
Mr. Afif is now considered to be one of the richest men in the country and will
soon set up his own airline business along with well known Attorney at Law;
Philip Boulle. However, Afif has a lot of work to do on the ground at Anse Etoile.
As information about his past is being made public, a lot of locals in the district are
questioning his motives for wishing to represent the district and many don’t trust
him. There is also panic in the LDS camp now that the leader of the Patriotic
Movement, Regis Francourt, has been seen many times talking to groups of people
in the district.
In the sub district of Khandahar, LDS supporters have turned against Afif in favourof Seychelles Patriotic Movement.They claim that he is aloof and show no interest in the people or the district. In the last meeting there last Wednesday held by Mr. Francourt, one of the attendants was Stella Afif, the wife of Ahmed Afif. The reception from the assembled crowd towards Mrs. Afif was negative but Mr. Francourt quickly calmed things down and made her feel welcome. Mrs.Afif has since reported back to her Executives that they have to take the SPM seriously.
Meanwhile this newspaper over its last two editions, has thrown two questions at Ahmed Afif which as yet he has not answered:
(1) Ahmed Afif have you ever lied to the Seselwa when you were Principal Secretary for Finance – when you said many times there were no corruption in government?
(2) Ahmed did you lie when you also helped defend and cover up the loss of 4.5 million dollars intended for the housing project at Perseverance?
It is not known who will stand for theSeychelles Patriotic Movement (SPM) at Anse Etoile but judging by the reception accorded to Regis Francourt in that district, it would be foolish to write off the SPM. In the first round of the Presidential Elections, Anse Etoile delivered over 2000 votes to the combined opposition. The question is will the district vote fo rthe aloof Ahmed Afif or for the relaxed Regis Francourt, assuming he chooses to stand there since he has the option to stand at Plaisance? Whatever happens, Anse Etoile will be one to watch out for!
We have received many telephone calls in regards to the article in our last Edition (Issue 22 - 1st July 2016) on page 10: ‘Ahmed Afif has not answered the questions!!’– At least two former currency policemen who worked in close collaboration with Afif at the time called our office to inform that all foreign exchange taken from people travelling abroad was placed in an envelope and delivered to Ahmed Afif personally. We now have a third question for the wannabe MNA: Ahmed Afif can you confirm or deny the allegation that foreign exchange (confiscated) was given to you directly!? This is one other question Ahmed has to answer before the National Assembly election. We hope that the people will get an answer soon from this dodgy opposition leader who for many years connived with the establishment to persecute the people.
One last question for Ahmed: Ahmed Afif did you apply for duty free importation of a Ford Ranger (S5318) in February 2005 on the basis that you are a handicap person? This question will also be added to the growing list for Ahmed to answer before election in September.
Source: Independent
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