3 Mauritians ADDED to the island's sanction list AND charged with financing terrorism

The Mauritian National Sanctions Secretariat has officially announced the inclusion of three Mauritian citizens on the list of designated parties under section 9(2) of the United Nations Sanctions Act 2019 (Financial prohibitions, Arms embargo and Travel ban).

The Mauritians concerned are

• Mohammad Zafirr Rechad Golamaully, born on 21 February 1989, also known under the pseudonyms  Abu Hud or Paladin of Jihad,  
• Lubnaa Rechad Golamaully, born on 10 August 1992, is domiciled in Vacoas.
• Samuel Tashvin Jodhun, born on March 20, 2003, living in Cité-La-Cure, also known as Mohamad Bilall Jodhun, completes this list.

KEY FACTS

• The decision, made public in a notice dated 6 June, involves severe restrictions, including asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo.
• Under sections 23 and 24 of this Act, any financial transaction or provision of property or funds to such individuals is strictly prohibited due to this designation.
• In addition, they are subject to an arms embargo as stipulated by Section 35.
• These sanctions are part of Mauritius' commitments to United Nations Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism, terrorist financing and arms proliferation.
• British investigators played a central role in this case, providing the Mauritian authorities with evidence documenting the suspicious financial flows.

PROVISIONALLY CHARGED WITH FINANCING TERRORISM

• When they appeared before the court in Port-Louis on July 4, 2024, the three relatives were provisionally charged with financing terrorism, before being released on bail, with an obligation to report daily to the police station closest to their place of residence.

BACKGROUND

• The National Sanctions Secretariat's inclusion of Mohammad Zafirr Rechad Golamaully and Lubnaa Rechad Golamaully on the UN sanctions list brings to the fore a complex family case, involving alleged radicalisation, allegations of financing of terrorism-related illicit activities and international convictions.
• According to cross-checks, Zafirr Golamaully is suspected of having joined the terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after he left for Turkey in 2014.
• His sister, Lubnaa, would have joined him a year later.
• But this is not the first time that members of the Golamaully family have found themselves in the crosshairs of the anti-terrorist authorities.

THE PARENTS AND INTERPOL

• In July 2024, Zafirr's parents—Mamode Rechad Golamaully (then 63) and Zulekha Bibi Cassam Mohamed Golamaully (66), as well as his uncle Moha med Cassam Mohamed Hansrod (62)—had already been arrested by Interpol-Mauritius and the Terrorism Financing Unit of the CCID.
• All three were accused of transferring more than Rs 224,000 to Zafirr and his wife during their stay in Turkey between 2014 and 2019.
• The sums are said to have passed through various agents operating in Turkey, suspected of being intermediaries of the terrorist group.

LONDON CONVICTION

• Disturbingly, another of Zafirr's uncles, Mohammed Iqbal Golamaully, and his wife, Nazimabee Golamaully, both based in London, were sentenced in November 2016 by the Old Bailey Court to 25 and 22 months in prison, respectively.
• The couple admitted to sending money to Zafirr Golamaully via Western Union, violating the British Terrorism Act 2000.
• The court ruled at the time that the funds were intended to support ISIS in Syria.

MAURITIAN NETWORK?

• The repetition of these family involvements, both in Mauritius and abroad, fuels the suspicions of the Mauritian authorities of a network that has actively supported, over the years, a radicalised member involved with the Islamic State.
• Although Mamode Rechad Golamaully is now deceased, according to our sources, his financial or ideological links continue to be perpetuated.
• Also, according to cross-checks, including these three Mauritians on the UN national sanctions list demonstrates the international community's recognition of the seriousness of this case.

Sources

https://lexpress.mu/s/trois-mauriciens-inscrits-sur-la-liste-nationale-des-sanctions-de-lonu-546390?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=LinkedIn#Echobox=1750154540-1