Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission – Hearing Number 263   ‘While living the truth, you should not be afraid of men,’ says Darrel Green |07 March 2022

“When you know and you are living the truth, you should never be afraid of men, regardless of their power, including their intimidation and guns,” complainant Darrel Green told the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) on Friday.

Mr Green was the second person in open session, in his long overdue case 0311, filed by himself based on persecution and victimisation, toward him and his family by the previous government, on account of his openness on being an advocate of true democracy.

For the delay in the case, due to some technicalities, chairperson of the TRNUC Gabrielle Louise McIntyre, on behalf of the commission, conveyed her apology to the complainant prior to beginning of the hearing.

Due to the fact that the complainant bears family relationship with the vice-chairperson of the TRNUC Michael Green, the latter recused himself – to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case, or to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest – from any consideration of the case, pursuing to the rules of procedure of the commission and the code of conduct of the commissioners.

Mr Green said he returned to Seychelles from the United Kingdom in 1983, and once on Praslin, he felt that the police force had serious issues with him, based on their behaviour towards him.

He said on every June 2, or 3 they arrested him and placed him in custody.

This, Mr Green explained was during the period when Gaetan Didon was the Police Regional Commander for Praslin.

He said he was always released on June 7, or 8 without any explanations for his detention, let alone any charges.

It is to note that the detention period coincided with the festivities to commemorate the 1977 coup.

Mr Green said he later understood that he was being regarded as a threat to the country’s security, due to his openness and influence on the youth regarding the subject of democracy.

Mr Green explained to the commission that he was always teaching the youth on the difference between a democratic state, compared to one being ruled through dictatorship.

He added that due to the fact that most of the youth he was associated with – through football – were born after 1977, they did not know the difference between a multi-party and one-party state.

Mr Green said he find it necessary to teach them the difference, especially during that period where a lot were being done to indoctrinate the youth by the regime in place.

This, he said, was the main reason for his persecution during the reigns of Albert Rene and James Michel.

Mr Green told the commission that his wife Stella Green – nee Hoarau – got a receptionist job at the Club Vacanze, at Côte d’Or, before being promoted to a junior manager.

He said on one particular morning, his wife went to work as usual, but came back home at around 10am, crying, telling her husband that she had been sacked and that the manager told her he knew nothing about it, but was just following orders from Mahé.

Mr Green explained that since the hotel was being run by a group of Italians who he was friendly with, he decided to accompany his wife back to the hotel to enquire on what had happened.

He said the Italians were surprised to learn the news and were not aware of the decision taken.

Mr Green said while talking, a minibus entered the compound with nine police officers onboard, and they instantly handcuffed him, informing him that they have received complaints on him crushing down the hotel.

He said despite the Italians trying to intervene, he was driven back to Baie Ste Anne and tossed in a cell.

He explained that he sent his wife to the workers union branch on Praslin which was under Roch Henriette, but upon learning that she was Mr Green’s wife, Mr Henriette informed her that there was nothing he could do for her.

A firm believer, Mr Green said God works in mysterious ways, and when he and his wife started their business – shop and cafeteria – they employed Mr Henriette’s daughter.

Mr Green explained that on one occasion, he had the chance to meet Mr Henriette under a different circumstance and reminded him of the incident involving his wife.

Mr Green told the TRNUC that Mr Henriette told him that he had been briefed that Stella Green was a Mauritian and that she did not had a proper Gainful Occupation Permit (GOP).

This, Mr Green described as stupid, malicious and irresponsible since they could have contacted the immigration to check his wife’s status if they thought she was Mauritian, before instantly dismissing her, without taking into account her financial and familial commitment.

He explained that at that time, people were put into key positions just to ease the process of victimisation, not necessarily on merit, only just because they were fervent to the regime.

Furthermore, Mrs Green is the cousin of Gérard Hoarau (7 December 1950 – 29 November 1985) the exiled opposition leader and head of the Mouvement Pour La Resistance (MPR) that sought the peaceful overthrow of the France Albert René regime which had come to power on June 5, 1977 through a coup d'état.

Her wife’s dismissal, Mr Green said, was part of the grudges and vengeance being applied on the family.

The unlawful closure of Mr Green’s business, including a cafeteria, was another point brought before the TRNUC on Friday.

He said one morning while making the necessary food preparation prior to the daily running of his business, he was approached by Georges Verlaque – representative of the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA) on Praslin – who presented him with a letter, informing him that his license was revoked.

Among the reasons given were that Mr Green provided sitting facilities for take-away clients, transporting food to clients, while the third and most ridiculous reason was that he had driven a JCB (excavator) on the road without a valid licence.

Already having prepared eight different dishes, Mr Green asked the SLA representative to at least, allow him to sell the food only for that day, to which the latter refused, stating that he had submitted the letter on that day, and that the business should close on that day.

He said Mr Verlaque arrogantly added that if he did not know what to with the food to “throw it away”.

Mr Green said he shared the food with regular clients and within the community.

Following the closure of his business, Mr Green said he sought the service of lawyer John Renaud and filed a case.

He explained that he noticed that the attorney tried his utmost best for him to lose the case, due to his non-court appearance on the day the case was being mentioned, forcing the judge to dismiss the case.

On a short notice, Mr Green was represented by attorney Philippe Boullé, winning his case and getting his licence re-instated.

After 18 months without operating, he re-started his business with a lot of difficulties.

As a prevention method, Mr Green asked the health authority to collect samples of his food on a regular basis, keeping record, in case the authority used health and safety reasons against him in the future.

Mr Green added that he later initiated an open-kitchen service – opening the space so that the restaurant is transparent and that it has nothing to hide in its kitchen – which was not welcomed by the SLA, encouraging him to block the whole thing, leaving only a small hole for the food boxes to go through.

After a lot of explanations, the idea was finally accepted.

Once again, the authority threw a spanner in the works, saying that there was no planning permission, even if the formal documents proved otherwise.

One morning after hearing a noise, he saw a group of armed police officers, accompanied by a lawyer from the Attorney General’s office demolishing his building.

He said they informed him that they were doing it themselves since no contractors – both on Mahé and Praslin – agreed to do it.

Following the incident, he decided to see James Michel who was in power at that time, through Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Baie Ste Anne Mitcy Larue, but was never materialised.

Through the late Carl Tamatave, he later managed to see Michel, who had received false information from Joel Morgan regarding the construction.

Mr Green told the commission that the first question he was asked by Alain Butler-Payette was what kind of compensation he wanted, to which he replied that he wanted back his building the way it was.

Following that, Mr Green said he made several trips to Mahé to no avail, regarding the issue.

He later received a letter from Christian Lionnet who informed him that government had no intention in discussing the case with him again.

In terms of illegal detention, Mr Green said, as a fisherman he decided to build a small infrastructure to unload his catch, preventing pollution in the area.

He said one day, a group of soldiers arrested him, saying that someone has already confessed that he stole corrugated iron sheets and sold it to him (Mr Green) and his son.

They also informed him that at that time, his son was already arrested and that they were going to search for corrugated iron on his property.

After a series of searches, nothing was found on the property and Mr Green was told by the sergeant at the Baie Ste Anne Police Station that it was the big boss (Michel) who was behind the move to frame him.

Mr Green said the funny thing about the incident is that the person who confessed to stealing the corrugated iron sheets – Gustave Lesperance – was never apprehended, detained, or charged.

He said the incident was just a cover to demolish the small infrastructure he built to unload his fish.

On another occasion, precisely on a Sunday, Mr Green said he was accompanying his two sons who were taking the ferry back to Mahé where they were attending school to the jetty.

He then saw a car with James Michel’s photo on it and decided to take a picture of it, when he was suddenly aggressed by Jemmy Marengo who unsuccessfully threw a few punches on him.

Mr Green explained to the TRNUC that as a Seychellois National Party (SNP) activist, he took the picture as proof which was always being asked by the electoral commission regarding irregularities during campaign and election periods.

He said upon realising that he was not an easy target to punch, an accomplice of Marengo pulled his pistol and pointed towards him.

Out of anger, Mr Green said he punched Marengo while getting away in a vehicle.

On his way back, he stopped at the police station, to make a formal complaint and while a junior officer was writing his report, he was asked to stop by a senior officer.

On that night, Mr Green said he received a call from his brother, Gilbert, who warned him that Marengo was coming to kill him.

Mr Green told the commission that he had everything prepared that night to welcome Marengo, who luckily did not come.

Roland Duval