Leaked recordings have sparked fears that the British High Commission in Mauritius had its phones hacked around the time when UK opened negotiations for the handover of the Chagos Islands.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed that the police in Mauritius are doing an investigation after audio of apparent discussions between the British high commissioner Charlotte Pierre and other political figures were featured on the Mauritian Facebook page Missie Moustass (Mr Moustache).
The clips are claimed to feature a conversation between Ms Pierre and local businessman Ken Arian, chief executive of Airport Holdings, who has recently welcomed the “decolonisation” of the Chagos Islands.
At one point, Ms Pierre can be heard saying: “I don’t have a prime minister at the moment”, adding, “You know what, I can say it now but we haven’t had a prime minister for two months.”
Murvind Beetun, an investigative journalist based in Mauritius, told The Independent a recording of one of his phone calls was leaked to the Facebook page.
He added: “The Facebook page has been brought down but the videos are still there on TikTok.”
Karen Walter, deputy chief editor of L’Express in Mauritius, said the Facebook page featured what appeared to be leaked telephone conversations and WhatsApp calls from two former prime ministers, the current opposition leader and his predecessors, and other individuals in key constitutional roles.
She told The Independent: “Notably, the leaks also involve a diplomat from the British High Commission in Mauritius.”
The Informus podcast in Mauritius also highlighted the alleged tapped conversations. So far at least five journalists are also thought to have been targeted, including Mr Beetun.
Outgoing prime minister Pravind Jugnauth denied his administration was behind the suspected leaks during a youth political rally of the Alliance Lepep in his constituency, Quartier Militaire and Moka. He denounced the recordings as “fabricated conspiracies and falsehoods”.
He claimed artificial intelligence is “being used to manipulate voices and create fake conversations”.
However, several apparent victims of the phone-tapping have claimed the recordings are genuine.
It’s an ongoing investigation and details will come once more data is gathered by the investigating officers.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chagos-islands-mauritius-british-high-commission-b2632133.html
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