“There was no warrant against Frankie Petrousse but only one alert at that time which was detected on the day of his departure.”
Minister for Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, said this yesterday during a press meet at the Independence House to update journalists on the issue of Frankie Petrousse, who was allowed to leave the country on September 13, 2021, when apparently there was a warrant for his arrest.
“I would like to mention on the very outset, that whenever the ministry or I get a request from the press, it does take some time for me to gather the facts before presenting to you. This situation became apparent when Mr Petrousse was leaving the country on September 13, 2021. On the immigration system there was an alert on his name dated 2014. He was held by customs officers at the airport and at the same time we got information from other sources that there was a warrant for him to appear in court. Immigration went ahead with its routine procedures and we found out that the alert dated 2014 was in reference to an employment issue. But his lawyer brought forward evidence proving that the case had been settled and we did not have any warrant against him. This is the reason why he was free to go,” explained Minister Fonseka.
Minister Fonseka stated that his ministry has been looking into this case closely and he sent his principal secretary, Alain Volcère, to the registrar and to the court to see if there was any warrant against Mr Petrousse and there was none.
“However, Mr Petrousse has to appear in court on October 6, 2021. Through our investigation, we found out that there was another alert sent to the immigration department in 2018 which was supposed to enter the system but did not. This is a serious case and we have document proving that instructions were given to a staff to insert the alert. This is something we will take up.”
Another point of concern for the minister is how come the alert was not detected on arrival. “Mr Petrousse arrived in the country on September 9, 2021 and the alert should have been picked up on the same date. These are some internal issues that I will deal with, but for the alert dated 2018, I will pass it on to the Anti-corruption Commission.”
At the moment, Mr Petrousse is out of the country, confirmed the internal affairs minister. “If he does not turn up on October 6 for his case, a warrant will be issued then we will follow through according to the court. My actions are always based on the court’s decision,” remarked Minister Fonseka.
Minister Fonseka noted that he will follow three issues for now: the alert that was not picked up on entry and who is responsible for that, the alert dated 2018 that was not entered into the system and the follow-up on the case of October 6, 2021. He commended the press for bringing up such issues.
To recall, Mr Petrousse was also one of the directors of the Island Construction Company and the alert of 2018 relates to arrears due to the Seychelles Revenue Commission.
The press conference was also attended by the principal secretary for immigration Alain Volcère and deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Francis Songoire.
Source: Seychelles Nation
