Wavel Ramkalawan has alleged that the government led by Patrick Herminie is politically targeting him. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday 15 April, Mr Ramkalawan said Dr Herminie wants to remove him from the political scene.
Mr Ramkalawan cited several incidents which he said point to a pattern of targeting. In particular, he referred to an encounter with police at Seychelles International Airport earlier this week.
He said police stopped and searched him at the VIP lounge at Seychelles International Airport on Monday 13 April 2026 as he entered the country. According to the Commissioner of Police Godfra Hermitte, and later confirmed in the National Assembly by Vice-President Sebastien Pillay, the search followed information linked to a drug-related operation.
Mr Ramkalawan said police released him after conducting a body search. However, he said police detained his bodyguard, Anille Bristol overnight. He added that police seized Mr Bristol’s phone and have not yet returned it, despite bringing no formal charge.
He also confirmed that another of his bodyguards was detained over the weekend under similar allegations but was later released after no evidence was found.
Mr Ramkalawan compared the situation to how he treated former presidents during his time in office. The former president said he had extended courtesy and respect to Mr James Michel and Mr Danny Faure.
He said he would seek legal action in response to the airport incident.
“There will be multiple court cases that I will be personally filing before the court for us to test various events that have happened,” Mr Ramkalawan said. “At the same time, if I am taking the decision to file these cases, note that it is not just for me to defend myself but for me to ensure that citizens of Seychelles can be treated with respect.”
He added that the cases would be filed within the next two weeks.
Mr Ramkalawan also questioned the basis of the police operation. He said officers appeared to have acted on unverified information from a social media post.
“There was a post on Facebook that says that I travelled to Turkey, and when they discovered that I went to Turkey I escaped in hiding to go to Morocco,” he said.
He said that official documents, including those at Foreign Affairs, his plane ticket and a conference invitation, did not mention Turkey.
Mr Ramkalawan criticised the conduct of the police. He said officers acted as if they were above the law and warned that similar actions could affect other citizens.
“Just imagine, if this happened to me, someone who has served as President, what they might do to an ordinary citizen” he said.
He also expressed concern about the direction of governance in Seychelles, saying the country risks decline under current leadership.