Madagascan Leader's Former Aide Jailed In UK For Graft

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th May, 2024) The former chief of staff of Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for bribery on Friday at a British court.

Romy Andrianarisoa, 47, was convicted in February of seeking a bribe from a British mining company to secure licences to operate in the island republic off the southeastern coast of Africa.

Andrianarisoa denied the accusations after being charged in August last year alongside her associate, 54-year-old French national Philippe Tabuteau. He pleaded guilty in September.

Handing down the sentence, judge Christopher Butcher said Andrianarisoa played a "leading role in the enterprise" and "abused" a position of "significant trust and responsibility".

Tabuteau, who was also sentenced on Friday, received a 27-month term in prison.

The pair tried to solicit a bribe from mining firm Gemfields for help securing a joint mining venture with the Madagascan government, in what the judge described as an operation involving "significant planning and a degree of sophistication".

They sought about £225,000 ($285,000) in "upfront charges", as well as a five-percent equity stake in a proposed licence deal that could have been worth £4 million, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

While the judge agreed the exact value of the share could not be determined, he said the amount would have been "substantial".

Gemfields reported Andrianarisoa to the NCA, which investigates serious, organised and transnational crime.

The agency carried out a "covert" investigation into the complaint involving an undercover officer engaging in negotiations.

Following its investigation, the NCA said Andrianarisoa "made it clear that she had a direct line to, and significant influence with, the country's leadership".

After her arrest in a central London hotel last August, she was suspended with immediate effect, the Madagascan presidency said at the time.

Gemfields mines and markets coloured gemstones, specialising in emeralds mined from Zambia and rubies from Mozambique, according to its website.

It does not currently operate any mines in Madagascar but owns Madagascar-based Oriental Mining, which does reportedly hold licences to mine there.

- 'Rejoice at this verdict' -

Rajoelina, 49, was re-elected for a third term in November in a ballot that was boycotted by most opposition candidates.

He first took power in 2009 following a mutiny that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.

After not contesting the 2013 election due to international pressure, Rajoelina was voted back into office in 2018, and again last year.

Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro, spokesperson for Madagascar's presidency, declined to give comment when asked by AFP for a reaction.

NGO Transparency International ranked Madagascar 145 out of 180 countries in its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Ketakandriana Rafitoson, Executive Director of Transparency International's Madagascar Initiative, told AFP it was "fortunate that this case was handled in a foreign jurisdiction and not in Madagascar.

"We can only rejoice at this verdict since this case is very important to demonstrate, especially to the Malagasy justice system, that impunity is not appropriate," she said.