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Deepa Kheddoo, Ex- Internal Auditor at the Irrigation Authority,

Date: 4 April 2017

Jean Claude Bibi, Barrister


Bibi law Chambers
10, Dauphine Street,
Port Louis,
Mauritius

Dear Mr. JC Bibi,

At the recent parliamentary sitting held on Tuesday 27 March 2018 the Honourable Mr. Osman Mahomed
questioned the Honourable Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security (MOAFS) about my suspension as
from my post of Internal Auditor at the Irrigation Authority.

Please find below my comments on this matter. I would be grateful if you could ensure that the truth about my
suspension and my subsequent dismissal be communicated to the Speaker of the National Legislative
Assembly, to the Honourable Prime Minister, to the Honourable Mr. Osman Mahomed and to the public at
large.

1. The answers given by the Honourable Minister are worse than misleading. He informed the National
Legislative Assembly that I had been dismissed “for some poor performance” whilst I was allegedly still “on
probation”. I disagree completely with the answers given by the Minister because they are factually untrue.

2. I joined the Irrigation Authority as Internal Auditor on 07 July 2016 and, according to my letter of
appointment, I was due to be confirmed after one - year period subject to an appraisal. However, by 7 July
2017 both Mr. Hauzaree, then the Acting General Manager (AGM) and Mrs. Dulthummun, then the Acting
Head of Administration (AHA) never caused an appraisal to be conducted and, in spite of my several requests,
never demonstrated any interest in respect of my confirmation. They simply refused to do anything about it.
Mrs. Dulthummin has since been suspended and Mr. Hauzaree has since been demoted from his position as
AGM.

3. Both Mr. Hauzaree and Mrs. Dulthummun acted unlawfully in breach of my letter of appointment by
refusing to conduct an appraisal of my performance and by refusing to confirm my appointment. The Minister
is therefore wrong when he talks about “some poor performance” when no appraisal was ever made. He is
also wrong when he stated that I was “still on probation.” I worked for the Irrigation Authority for fifteen
months, i.e. from July 2016 to October 2017. The probation period ended in July 2017.

4. The Minister also informed the National Legislative Assembly that “they decided not to renew my
contract.” This is also untrue. I was not employed on contract. I was appointed to a permanent position and I
should have been confirmed after one year. There was no contract to be renewed.

5. On 7 June 2017, Mr. Hauzaree demanded explanations from me and Mrs. Vijayta Gopynauth, the
Accountant in respect of an anonymous allegation accusing us of “spying” the staff !!. Though I submitted a
written memo denying this false allegation and requested proof of my guilt, Mr. Hauzaree, without conducting
any enquiry, issued me with a warning three months later, on 25 August 2017. He falsely wrote in his
memo that the said letter expressed the “grievances of the staff” when in fact it was anonymous.

6. I contested the warning before the Commission for Conciliation and Mediation (CCM) and provided them
with a copy of the memo. On this ground, Mr. Hauzaree, on 20 October 2017, sent me a letter of suspension
with immediate effect, the charge being “Management has become aware that you have in your possession
confidential information which you have imparted in the public domain without lawful authority.”

7. A disciplinary committee was held on Monday 27 November 2017. The Chairman of the Cttee from the
start announced that no minutes would be taken of the proceedings. The only witness who gave evidence
against me was Mrs. Dulthummun. Shortly afterwards, four days later, on 1 December 2017, the disciplinary
committee itself and Mrs. Dulthummun herself were both suspended and never heard about again. However,
on 12 December 2017, my employment was terminated with immediate effect based on the report of a
disciplinary committee that had itself been already suspended! Will the Honourable Minister explain to the
National Legislative Assembly how this is possible in a country where the rule of law is supposed to prevail?
Has he ever asked Mr. Hauzaree and the Board of the Irrigation Authority to explain such unlawful and unfair
conduct?

8. Subsequently, the Minister took the correct, even if belated, decision to set up a Committee of Inquiry
chaired by Mr. Didier Dodin, Barrister at Law. On Thursday 5 April 2018 I gave evidence before the
Committee and explained that the Minister had made statements about me that were not true.

9. On 22 December 2017 I requested the Ministry of Labour Industrial Relations Employment and Training to
enquire into my unfair and unjustified dismissal. A conciliation meeting was scheduled on Friday 12 January
2018 and at that meeting the representative of the Irrigation Authority stated that I had been dismissed for
“breach of trust.” There was no mention of “poor performance” and no mention of a decision not “to renew
my contract”.

10. I reiterate that the Irrigation Authority has never carried out any appraisal regarding my performance. I
was also told whether orally or in writing that my performance was poor and if so which improvement needs
were required. It is therefore surprising and indeed shocking that the Minister now in April 2018 is still not in
a position to give accurate information to the National Legislative Assembly. I can only hope the Minister will
try to find out who has given him false information and why.

Yours faithfully,

Deepa Devi Kheddoo

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