The board of directors of the Rose Belle Sugar Estate terminated the contract of its financial controller and secretary to the board, Somduth Teeluck, on September 3.
This decision follows the holding of three meetings by a disciplinary committee, comprising amongst others a representative of the Global Corporate Good Governance of the Prime Minister’s Office and a lawyer.
According to a source, Teeluck had to answer several charges of breach deemed “serious” in the recent scandal of the Rose Garden Residences at Rose Belle.
“Teeluck had been given a chance to defend himself. However, the findings of the disciplinary committee are serious and we had to terminate his contract on Saturday,” said Nundlall Basant Rai, president of the Rose Belle Sugar Estate.
The residential plot of land belonging to the Rose Belle Sugar Estate, valued at Rs 50 million, was sold at Rs 36 million only to the Indian Company Limited Consortium to accommodate a commercial and hotel project.
On August 24, a squad of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was at the administrative offices of Rose Belle to proceed with the seizure of documents relating to the sale of the land and the proposed subdivision as part of an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Satish Faugoo is also alleged to have given verbal instructions to the board of directors to not contest in the Supreme Court the land promoters’ decision to parcel the 28.1 acres of land, under the Rose Garden Residences, instead of respecting the initial contract.
However, in a recent press conference, the minister rejected the allegations. Instead, he said that he has dismantled the board when he learnt that there had been a misdeal.
“Since 2008, I have not approved any dossiers of the Rose Belle Sugar Estate because I disagree with their methods. There has been a misdeal and Rose Belle Sugar Estate should accept the consequences,” Faugoo said.