Two former employees of the Mauritius Freeport Development Co. Ltd (MFD) were sentenced to two years in prison each by the intermediate court for the theft of 30,150 kg of tuna. This Monday, May 27, 2024, judges Mohana Naidoo and Carol Green-Jokhoo confirmed the sentence and rejected the appeal of the two men.
Sivajee Mooneesamy and Desigen Ramen were prosecuted in the intermediate court on the charge of “larceny made by two individuals”. They pleaded guilty but appealed the sentence, arguing that it was excessive and too harsh. In their decision, the judges ruled that the sentence was justified, given that there had been a breach of trust on the part of these two accused towards their employer.
In fact, Sivajee Mooneesamy, 40, held the position of “forklift driver”, while Desigen Ramen was his supervisor. Both were working in MFD Zone 5 in the Red Sea. Sivajee Mooneesamy had made a deal with Desigen Ramen to steal cases of tuna from three cold storage rooms and resell them to make some extra money. This is how in September 2016, they stole 15,761 kg of tuna, worth Rs 827,500. And on October 17, 2016, they stole 14,389 kg of tuna, estimated at Rs 760,000.
