Fears have arisen that the British High Commission in Mauritius may have fallen victim to phone hacking during negotiations surrounding the Chagos Islands. Leaked recordings have come to light, suggesting that the British high commissioner, Charlotte Pierre, engaged in discussions with prominent Mauritian figures. These audio clips were shared on the Mauritian Facebook page known as Missie Moustass.
The leaked conversation reportedly took place between Ms Pierre and local businessman Ken Arian, the chief executive of Airport Holdings, who has shown support for the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands. Sources indicate that the discussion likely occurred in October or November 2022, corresponding to the early stages of negotiations over the Indian Ocean islands. The sensitive issue of the Chagos Islands revolves around the secretive joint UK-US air base located on Diego Garcia island.
Concerns have been raised that the agreement allowing the UK to maintain control of the facility for the next century could expose the islands to potential Chinese interference. Investigative journalist Murvind Beetun revealed that a recording of one of his phone calls was leaked onto Facebook, with the videos subsequently being shared on TikTok.
In addition to political figures, the leaked telephone conversations and WhatsApp messages also involved a diplomat from the British High Commission, as reported by Karen Walter, deputy chief editor of l’express in Mauritius. The Informus podcast further highlighted the tapped conversations, with at least five journalists believed to have been targeted alongside Mr Beetun.
Outgoing prime minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, denied any involvement in the suspected leaks and dismissed the recordings as fabricated. Despite claims of artificial intelligence manipulation, victims of the phone tapping maintain that the leaked recordings accurately depict their conversations. Senior barrister Shakeel Mohamed confirmed that phone calls he made were included in the leak and refuted the suggestion of AI replication being used to falsify the conversations.
The Commissioner of Police in Mauritius issued a statement emphasizing that phone tapping is illegal and launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators behind the leaked recordings. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been contacted for comment on the matter.