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Madagascar’s anti corruption authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for businessman Maminiaina Ravatomanga, a prominent figure in the country’s business and political circles, in connection with an alleged fraud scheme linked to lychee exports.
The warrant targets Ravatomanga, often referred to by his nickname “Mamy,” as investigators probe what local media described as a large scale operation involving irregularities in the export of lychees, one of Madagascar’s best known seasonal agricultural products.
The case adds to legal pressure already surrounding the head of the Sodiat group. Reports in the region have said Ravatomanga is currently being held in Mauritius, where he faces separate proceedings, including allegations tied to money laundering.
According to reporting in the French language outlet LINFO.re, Malagasy authorities suspect Ravatomanga of being involved in a “vast” export fraud tied to lychees. Another Malagasy outlet, 2424.mg, reported that the anti corruption unit in Antananarivo issued the international warrant as part of an investigation examining suspected lychee export fraud between 2019 and 2026, alongside alleged money laundering connected to the dossier.
Lychees are a lucrative trade for Madagascar during the export season, with shipments typically aimed at European markets. The sector also involves a chain of growers, collectors, exporters, shipping and customs processes, making it vulnerable to disputes over documentation, quotas, pricing and declarations.
Ravatomanga has long been a well known name in Madagascar’s corporate landscape, and his legal troubles have drawn attention beyond the business community. In recent months, international media have also described him as a once influential figure around the previous political establishment, whose standing weakened amid upheaval in Antananarivo.
The development of an international warrant does not by itself determine guilt, but it signals that prosecutors want the suspect located and made available to the Malagasy judiciary. Such warrants can also complicate travel, banking and cross border commercial activity, particularly for executives whose companies operate across multiple jurisdictions.
Authorities in Madagascar have not released a detailed public account of the alleged lychee export scheme in the reporting cited, and it was not immediately clear what specific charges Ravatomanga will ultimately face once the investigation is completed.
