Commissioner Mathilda Twomey Woods has alleged executive interference, environmental breaches and failures in oversight during the development of Assomption Island, as she submitted the final report of the Commission of Inquiry to President Patrick Herminie.
The inquiry’s 400-page report concludes six months of investigations, hearings and document reviews into the sublease and development of the island.
Speaking after submitting the report, Twomey Woods said the commission found evidence that warranted further investigations by the Office of the Attorney General, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Seychelles and the Financial Intelligence Unit.
She revealed that the commission issued adverse findings notices to three individuals and two organisations. The commission gave them 10 days to respond before releasing the report to the public.
Twomey Woods said the findings showed there was a clear need for the inquiry.
“What we found really shows that there needed to be an investigation on what happened to our island Assomption,” she said.
Among the inquiry’s most significant findings were concerns about environmental management on the island.
Twomey Woods said the environmental chapter alone spans around 100 pages.
She alleged that environmental controls were breached and linked some of those failures to interference from the executive.
“It happened because of the interference of the executive at different levels,” she said.
The commissioner also issued a warning about the responsibilities of public officers.
“When a public officer has to discharge their responsibility under the law, no one can tell them to break the law,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if a king, or a higher officer, or a prince tells you to do something. You cannot break the law.”
Twomey Woods praised public officers who resisted pressure and followed legal procedures.
“We commended in the report the people that refused to break the law. These people need to be recognised as heroes that stood up,” she said.
The commissioner said the inquiry did not find that the Assomption sublease itself was illegal.
However, she said investigators identified concerns over the valuation of the sublease, environmental controls and incentives allegedly paid by the developer.
“We saw that they did not do a proper evaluation of the sublease. We saw that environmental controls were broken. We saw that the developer paid incentive certain people,” she said.
Twomey Woods also disclosed that one witness faced victimisation during the inquiry.
She said the commission intervened after receiving information about the matter.
“There was one of our witness that was victimised and I had to issue a formal letter to the organisation that victimised that person,” she said.
She said the issue stopped after the commission took action.
Looking ahead, Twomey Woods urged authorities to act on the report’s recommendations.
“It will be disappointing if all the recommendations we made are not adopted, and the report just piles up dust on a shelf somewhere,” she said.
She also called on members of the public to continue demanding accountability.
“If they don’t see anything happening, stand up again and ask. We all have the power.”
The commissioner said the inquiry had now completed its work and left the next steps to the relevant authorities.
“Our job is done. We have stated in the report what we have seen and we have sent several recommendations to concerned parties,” she said.