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Mauritius says the Malagasy businessman Mamy Ravatomanga planned to leave the island by sea rather than face a money laundering case involving 7.3 billion rupees, about $155.85 million.
His lawyer says there is no evidence for it.
The Financial Crimes Commission made the claim before the Bail and Remand Court last week, opposing the release of the Sodiat Group chief executive, who has been held for more than 300 days without trial. He was arrested on Oct. 24, 2025 and faces two provisional charges of money laundering and criminal conspiracy over conduct alleged to have taken place that month. Conversion uses 46.84 rupees to the dollar.
The escape claim rests on somebody else's phone.
Data recovered from a handset belonging to David Jean Christian Thomas, a resident of Calodyne described as close to Ravatomanga, shows that on Oct. 16, 2025, eight days before the arrest, Thomas planned maritime routes linking Mauritius to Réunion and to France while travelling on an Ivorian passport. Paramhans Alleear, the commission's interim director of investigations, told the court the plan is credible because Ravatomanga owns three boats and a yacht.
Khushal Lobine, appearing for Ravatomanga before magistrate Mohammad Nathire, described the commission's allegations as unfounded conjecture of a weak nature, said there is no physical evidence and no closed-circuit television footage, and accused the investigation's director of sowing general confusion.
The commission raised a second allegation, this one about the prison.
Investigators suspect Ravatomanga has been making unauthorised calls from Melrose, a high-security facility, to Madagascar. Part of their reasoning is that he is the only Malagasy detainee in his section. They are still looking for a second handset and a Malagasy SIM card.
Lobine answered that his client has been through more than 25 body searches at Melrose and that all of them found nothing. On the wider question of interference with the case, he argued that 300 days in custody, searches of his client's residences and the seizure of his computer equipment leave no capacity to tamper with evidence.
The court adjourned to Wednesday, Sept. 9. That hearing will take evidence from defence witnesses and will include a statement Ravatomanga delivers himself, by video link, from his cell.
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