A lower court had found him guilty, while previously serving as
finance minister, of being party to a decision to reallocate health
ministry funds to acquire a private hospital, Medpoint, in which his
sister had shares.
Mauritius PM picks son as finance minister after conviction quashed(Reuters)
Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth picked his son Pravind as finance minister, the president's office said on Wednesday.
The younger Jugnauth, 53, was earlier in the day cleared by the country's supreme court of a conflict-of-interest conviction.
A
lower court had found him guilty, while previously serving as finance
minister, of being party to a decision to reallocate health ministry
funds to acquire a private hospital, Medpoint, in which his sister had
shares.
The appointment of Pravind Jugnauth, who also previously served as technology minister, had been widely expected once his conviction had been quashed.
Anerood
Jugnauth has been covering the finance ministry brief since March, when
Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo quit citing personal reasons.
The
prime minister, who was also head of government from 1982 to 1995 and
from 2000 to 2003, is hailed by his supporters as the father of the
Mauritius economic miracle of the 1980s, when the Indian Ocean island
liberalised its economy and began the process of reducing it dependency
on sugar cane production.
It now serves as an offshore financial centre favoured by many firms and investors as an entry point into Africa.
Pravind
Jugnauth's first major challenge will be to draft a budget for
presentation to parliament next month in line with government
commitments to stimulate growth, attract investment and create jobs.
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