Charles Cartier, who was removed from his position as the CEO of Air Mauritius last February, maintains that his dismissal is abusive, illegal and unjustified. He demands, by way of a formal notice, dated Thursday, July 3, written by Me Pazahny Thandarayan (a lawyer), of Rs 91 million to MK.
Charles Cartier had been appointed CEO of Air Mauritius under a contract dated March 6, 2024. The contract was for a duration of 3 years and was, in principle, not to end until March 5, 2027.
Under this contract, Charles Cartier benefited from a monthly salary of Rs 750,000, with an All-Inclusive allowance of Rs 100,000, a Gratuity of 25% of his salary on an annual basis, a Car Allowance of Rs 100,000, a Fuel Allocation of 400 liters of fuel, as well as the year-end bonus. He also enjoyed Concessional Privileged Travel Facilities, i.e. free plane tickets.
Charles Cartier had taken office as soon as this contract was initialed, functions he had assumed until February 6, 2025. He maintains in his formal notice that he has never been subjected to any disciplinary action or subject to any complaint for poor performance.
However, in a letter dated February 6, 2025, Air Mauritius had told him that he had been dismissed from his duties as CEO of the company, with immediate effect. According to the reasons given by Air Mauritius, MK shareholders had not re-elected him as director during their annual meeting on February 6, 2025. This means that, according to Article 23.1.3 of the Company’s Constitution, he had ceased to be the CEO of the company.
Air Mauritius then informed him, in another letter, dated February 12, 2025, that Rs 237,291 had been paid into his bank account, representing his salary until February 6, 2025, including his end-of-year bonus, all calculated on a pro-rata basis.
But for Charles Cartier, this dismissal is “abusive, wrongful, unlawful and unjustified” and is a contractual fault. Referring to clause 15 of the contract between him and Air Mauritius, which states that “your employment may be terminated as provided by the law”, he adds that it was not up to Air Mauritius to unilaterally dismiss him, for the reason that the company had put forward, without resorting to the procedures provided for by law.
He thus claims 91,095,432 from Air Mauritius. This sum first covers the lack of remuneration for 25 months, i.e. between February 6, 2025 and March 5, 2027, which makes Rs 41,095,432. Added to this, he also claims moral damages of Rs 50 million, for the damage suffered.
The intimate formal notice to Air Mauritius to pay this sum as soon as possible, otherwise it will have recourse to other legal means.
Charles Cartier was the director of Accenture from 2007 to 2024, before joining Air Mauritius. He says he has more than 30 years of experience in managing several multinationals, including aviation, the financial sector, logistics, communications and multimedia.