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Prithvirajsing RoopunPresident of Mauritius since 2 December 2019
Date of Birth: 25.09.1959
Country:  Mauritius |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Prithvirajsing Roopun was born into a Hindu Arya Samaji family on December 2, 1959, in the suburb of Morcellement St. Jean in Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. He received his early education at New Eton College in Rose Hill. Roopun pursued a career in teaching mathematics at Eden College. In 1986, he qualified and was admitted to practice as an attorney-at-law. He holds an LLM in International Commercial Law from the University of Central Lancashire.
Legal Career
Roopun has been a member of the Examination Committee of the Council of Legal Education since 1989 and has served for more than fifteen years. He has also lectured at the Faculty of Law of the University of Mauritius.
Political Journey
Roopun joined politics in 1983 and first ran as a candidate in 1995. He was elected in the constituency No. 14, Savanne and Black River, in the 2000 General Elections and served in the Legislative Assembly as Deputy Chief Whip until 2004. Subsequently, he was appointed as Minister of Local Government and Solid Waste Management.
In the 2010 General Elections, Roopun was elected in the constituency No. 9, Flacq and Bon Accueil. From 2010 to 2012, he served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius. He also represented Mauritius as a member of the Pan-African Parliament from 2010 to 2014, where he was the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science, and Technology.
Cabinet Positions
From December 2014 to January 2017, Roopun served as Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, focusing on eradicating extreme poverty and empowering vulnerable groups. During his tenure, the Marshall Plan against Poverty was elaborated with the support of UNDP, and a Minimum Vital Assistance Scheme was introduced for families living in extreme poverty. From January 2017 to November 2019, he held the portfolio of Minister of Arts and Culture. In this capacity, he chaired the 13th session of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, during which Jamaica's Reggae Music was inscribed on the Representative List.
Presidency
On December 2, 2019, Roopun was nominated by the National Assembly as the seventh President of Mauritius, although he was not a candidate in the 2019 General Elections. He was sworn in on the same day. Upon assuming office as President of the Republic of Mauritius, he was conferred with the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean under the National Honours Act 1993, section (6) 1.
Controversies
In February 2020, one of the police motorcyclists who typically escort the presidential limousine and ensure its smooth passage through traffic was seriously injured when he skidded off his motorcycle at high speed in wet weather in Trianon. This sparked a debate about the unnecessary risks that police officers face so that politicians can move around on Mauritius' roads.
In late February 2020, the Indian press reported that Roopun and his family were stopped for carrying excess baggage in Varanasi, India, while he was on a private visit. Prior to continuing their journey, Roopun was asked to pay additional charges by Air India staff at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport. However, after the intervention of two wealthy individuals, Air India staff allegedly waived the additional charges.
Roopun's brother, Dharmaveersing Roopun (also known as Sudesh Roopun), is a notary who has been involved in a series of fictitious land sales, in which plots of land did not legally belong to the vendor yet Roopun appropriated money for the purported transactions. He works as part of a group that includes brokers and land surveyors. For instance, in 2000, Louis Gaetan L’Eveille successfully sued Roopun and others for the fraudulent sale of land and claimed the Rs. 300,000 he had paid to Roopun. Despite the magistrate's judgment in his favor, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court Judge, including recommendations to the Notarial Chamber and Attorney General to take further action against Roopun, he has continued to operate freely, defrauding new victims. In 2018, Roopun failed to reimburse Rs. 1.4 million to Jamil G. for the fictitious sale of land in Highlands. In 2019, Navosa and Quirin lost Rs. 2.4 million after being similarly misled by Roopun's group and lodged an official complaint with the Anti-Land Fraud Unit, but no action was taken.
