Nishta Jooty-Needroo, former CEO, SIT.

By Nishta Jooty-Needroo

Prime Minister,

I am writing this open letter to demand urgent answers regarding administrative justice, procedural fairness, and institutional integrity in Mauritius.

Recent actions taken under your governance demonstrate a stark application of deux poids, deux mesures – a double standard that severely undermines public trust in our institutions. This concern centers on my dismissal as Chief Executive Officer of the Sugar Investment Trust (SIT), contrasted sharply with the handling of allegations involving senior members of your administration, specifically your Senior Advisor, Mr. JCBE.

My formal letter of termination explicitly stated that the SIT Board decided to dispense with my services due to audio recordings circulating on social media. This decision raises grave questions:

  1. On Comparative Standards (deux poids, deux mesures): Why was a circulating social media recording – which does not even contain my voice -deemed sufficient grounds for the immediate dismissal of an executive whose stewardship brought measurable financial progress to the Sugar Investment Trust? Meanwhile, recordings alleging serious corruption involving your office and your senior advisor are met with institutional silence and protection. How do you explain this clear disparity in executive treatment?
  2. On Audio Authenticity, State Surveillance, and Misleading Parliament: If the recording cited in my dismissal was deemed authentic and acted upon by a state-affiliated board, does your administration confirm its veracity? If so, does this confirm that state-sanctioned phone tapping remains active in Mauritius? How does this square with your explicit assurance in the National Assembly that all phone-tapping materials were being destroyed? If phone tapping continues to be operationalized, will you address whether the House was misled on this critical matter of public trust?
  3. On Due Process, Financial Performance, and the Treatment of Women: If your position is that no state phone tapping took place, on what legal, factual, or evidentiary basis did the Board act to strip me of my position? Under my tenure, the Sugar Investment Trust stood out as one of the few state entities making significant financial strides. More egregiously, this decision was executed while I was away on statutory maternity leave. Is this how female leaders and mothers are treated under your watch?

Dismissing a high-performing female executive while on maternity leave – shortly after announcing with great fanfare in your recent budget speech that maternity leave would be extended to one year – reveals a deep, cynical contradiction between your public declarations and administrative realities.

Both the public and I deserve clear, direct answers on whether administrative standards and statutory protections in Mauritius apply equally to all, or whether accountability depends entirely on proximity to your office.

 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nishta Jooty-Needroo

Former CEO, Sugar Investment Trust (SIT)

Long Live Republic of Mauritius