🇲🇺 Avago Technologies owes Rs 6.6 billion in unpaid taxes — and is fighting it in court

Avago Technologies owes Rs 6.6 billion in unpaid taxes — and is fighting it in court

Rs 6.6 billion. That is what Avago Technologies Trading Ltd (ATTL) owes the Mauritius Revenue Authority in unpaid taxes — roughly a third of the country's entire annual health budget. PM Ramgoolam disclosed the figure in parliament last week, responding to a question from MP Ram Etwareea on the total Rs 25.7 billion in outstanding tax arrears owed to the state as at 31 March 2026.

ATTL is not paying. The company has appealed to the Supreme Court without settling the disputed amount, and the MRA has launched recovery action — which is now itself the subject of litigation. In other words, the state is chasing Rs 6.6 billion through the courts while the bill sits unpaid.

Avago's parent company is Broadcom Inc., the US chip giant that traces its roots to Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. The Avago entity was created in 2005 by private equity funds KKR and Silver Lake, and grew into Broadcom through a $37 billion acquisition in 2016. The Mauritius subsidiary's tax dispute pre-dates that merger — exactly how old the bill is, and what triggered it, has not been made public.

Rs 25.7 billion total in unpaid taxes at one point in time. That's a budget problem hiding in plain sight.

Mauritius's financial crimes unit sends investigators to Madagascar in the Ravatomanga case

The inquiry into Mamy Ravatomanga, Madagascar's most powerful businessman, has crossed borders. The Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) — Mauritius's anti-financial crime body — has deployed investigators from its Asset Recovery Unit to Antananarivo, working alongside France's national financial prosecutor, the Parquet national financier, in a joint investigation team.

Ravatomanga's name has long circulated in Mauritian financial circles, and the FCC probe is now entering what officials describe as a decisive phase. Asset recovery operations across borders are rare and signal the FCC is tracking money, not just building a paper case.

Sik Yuen says Lesjongard misled the public on how Mauritius priced its Singapore oil deal

Former minister Michael Sik Yuen held a press conference Saturday to dispute claims made by Joe Lesjongard about the heavy fuel oil purchase from Singapore. At the centre of the argument: the difference between a "premium" price and the "Platts" benchmark — the standard reference for global fuel markets.

Sik Yuen says Lesjongard distorted the truth about how the purchase was priced. Lesjongard has not yet responded publicly. The dispute matters: the Singapore fuel deal has been a political flashpoint, with opposition figures alleging the state overpaid.

Owner keeps digging at Calodyne despite stop orders — so the ministry is now looking at legal action

Rock excavation at a Calodyne site has continued despite multiple stop orders issued since the start of the year, and the Environment Ministry is now considering legal proceedings as an Environment Police inquiry runs in parallel. Residents have raised fears about the impact on the local Paille-en-Queue habitat, a protected seabird species.

Two constables who delivered a baby in their patrol car receive a Commissioner's commendation

Constables Gaurisha and her colleague were recognised by the Commissioner of Police with a Certificate of Commendation this week for keeping their cool on 5 May, when a woman gave birth in their patrol vehicle before reaching hospital. The award ceremony puts a formal close on one of the more remarkable police stories of recent weeks.

Good instincts, a lot of calm, and probably a story they'll be telling for decades.

Shorts

Meat, oil, canned goods all cost more – Between January and April, a string of staples rose in price — meat, cooking oil, fuel and canned goods — adding fresh pressure on household budgets ahead of the June budget.

Decathlon Mauritius apologises over ad – Decathlon Mauritius has responded after its online ad featuring young girls in swimwear drew perverted comments, following public pressure from child advocacy group Lesprisexy.

Phone at the wheel now costs more points – Cabinet approved amendments to the Road Traffic Act that stiffen penalties for using a mobile phone while driving under the points-based licence system.

Vincent just missed gold at 50m freestyle – Bradley Vincent clocked 22.30 seconds in the 50m freestyle final at the Africa Championships in Oran — a superb time that landed him silver, not gold.

Missing 76-year-old found safe in Amaury – Multiple police units mobilised Saturday night after a 76-year-old woman from Amaury failed to return home; she was located safely thanks to the rapid response.

75 years

of Collège Eden — founded with three pupils in a Rose-Hill garage, the school marks its platinum jubilee this year.

25%

jump in Saudi Aramco's first-quarter profit, beating expectations as the East-West Pipeline bypassed the Strait of Hormuz and kept Saudi crude flowing during the Iran conflict.

Rs 300,000

worth of donations stolen from a safe in Brisée-Verdière — a 27-year-old was arrested by the CID after investigators tracked the theft.

PM Ramgoolam lands in Nairobi as Macron bets his Africa legacy on one last summit

PM Ramgoolam arrived in Nairobi Sunday evening for the Africa Forward summit — the renamed, rebranded France-Africa summit that runs Monday and Tuesday co-hosted by France and Kenya. About 80 Mauritian private sector representatives are travelling with the PM; he is due to co-chair a session on the blue economy alongside Senegal's president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

For Macron, the stakes are personal — this is his attempt at a legacy moment one year before his term ends, pitching a partnership model as an alternative to Russian and Chinese influence on the continent. Holding it in an English-speaking country is deliberate: France's standing in its former francophone colonies has collapsed in recent years.

Togo's opposition builds a new coalition against constitutional change

Major Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups held their first joint rally Saturday, relaunching protests against constitutional amendments they say allow President Faure Gnassingbé to entrench his hold on power.

Hundreds fill a Bamako stadium in a show of support for Mali's junta leader

Supporters of Mali's transitional president gathered at a Bamako stadium Saturday to reaffirm loyalty to the junta chief — a public display of backing as the military government faces growing pressure at home and from regional neighbours.

Trump and Xi are meeting in Beijing — trade, AI, nuclear and Iran all on the agenda

A Trump-Xi summit is confirmed for Beijing, with the two presidents set to discuss the full range of tensions between the world's two largest economies: trade tariffs, artificial intelligence competition, nuclear postures and the Iran conflict. It will be their first direct talks since Trump returned to the White House.

Both sides say the goal is stabilisation. Neither side is describing it as a breakthrough. Everything is on the table, which usually means nothing is yet resolved.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi released from Iranian prison on bail

Narges Mohammadi, jailed Iranian activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been released on bail and transferred to a Tehran hospital after collapsing in prison, where she had been serving a sentence for her campaign against compulsory veiling.

Israeli drone and airstrikes kill at least 13 in Lebanon, including a man and his daughter

Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles south of Beirut killed four people Saturday, while a separate series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 13, among them a father and his 12-year-old daughter, according to state media and Lebanon's Health Ministry.

Can Mauritius really save its ocean — or is it just selling it a different way?

A new analysis asks whether Mauritius's ocean conservation push is as green as it sounds. Mangroves are being turned into financial assets, the 'green port' project may be more branding than substance, and industrial aquaculture is growing in waters the island depends on for both tourism and food security.

The question is not whether Mauritius cares about the ocean — it has to, economically. It's whether the instruments being used to 'save' it are actually rebuilding ecosystems or just monetising them under a blue label.