OPEN LETTER
To
The High Commissioner,
High Commission of India (Mauritius)
Plot No.65-C Cybercity
Ebene
2nd August 2026
Subject : Call for investigation into suspected fraudulent practice in M4 project
Your Excellency
Greetings
As Chief Editor of Capital, an entrepreneurial initiative dedicated to authoritative insight and investigative journalism, I am compelled by my unwavering commitment to truth to bring this matter of utmost seriousness to your attention and to seek your prompt response.
On 23rd July 2026 the High Commission announced the signature of the Umbrella Line of Credit Agreement which forms part of the USD 680 million Special Economic Package granted by the Government of India to Mauritius. The MUR 20.1 billion financed via the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) will be geared towards a range of priority developmental projects out of which MUR 10 billion is being earmarked for the M4 Motorway connecting Forbach to Bel-Air .
As per rules of the EXIM Bank, the signature of the agreement for a Line of Credit, would kickstart the contractor selection process which adheres to a transparent, two phase procedure as follows:
Phase 1: Pre-Qualification –Exim Bank and the Borrowing Government shall define the project scope and pre-qualification criteria. The Bank then pre-qualifies eligible Indian entities based on their financial strength, technical capabilities, and track record.
Phase 2: Competitive Bidding – The Borrowing Government shall conduct a competitive tender exercise exclusively among the pre-qualified Indian contractors. The contract is awarded based on fair, transparent evaluation criteria in line with standard international tendering norms.
Excellency, let us concur, any departure from the above procedure, resulting in favouring a particular contractor would be a violation of part or the whole agreement and even constitute a fraudulent practice. As we are both aware, public infrastructure projects around the world often make headlines for the wrong reasons.
Intelligence obtained during the course of my investigation suggest the M4 project will be far from offering a level playing field for Indian entities as the process itself may be rigged from the outset. During the visit of the delegation of the EXIM Bank in Mauritius from 20th to 24th July, there were two representatives of an Indian Engineering & Construction company by the name of KALPATARU Projects International Limited (KPIL) present in Mauritius. It has been confirmed that the representatives of KPIl, Messrs A.K and S.M resided at the same hotel and at the same time as the EXIM Bank delegation. My office has further been made aware that the representatives of KPIL and delegation of EXIM Bank left the country on the same day. While these might be other questionable coincidences, it is further revealed in a controversial ethical move the same executives of KPIL met with ministerial officials, civil servants, consultants and members of the executive, involved with the M4 project. My sources expressed concerns with respect to potential deviations as to EXIM Bank’s own regulations relating to Indian Content Requirement and favouring a supplier of construction materials, with an averred nexus to a member of the Mauritian government.
On October 7, 2020, the World Bank Group issued an official debarment of twelve months and one day of Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd (KPTL) in connection with non-contested fraudulent practices as part of the Southern African Power Market Project (SAPMP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Egypt Wind Power Development Project (EWPDP).
According to the facts of the case, which KPTL did not contest, KPTL omitted the disclosure of intended payments to third parties when submitting bids under the SAPMP (in 2010) and the EWPDP (in 2012).
In May 2023 Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited rebranded the company as Kalpataru Projects International Limited justifying the change as an effort to reflect its broader global project scope. A skin shedding which only stretches further the list of questionable coincidences. Moreover , our collaborators in India have expressed concerns that KPIL may permeate through EXIM Bank’s debarment check given the purview of the check limits itself to Commercial Banks, Public Sector Undertakings, or Central/State Government bodies.
Excellency at a time of heightened scrutiny and demand for accountability, ensuring the integrity in the deployment of public money is a sacrosanct duty. Through this correspondence I call upon your office to ensure the Enforcement Directorate of India launches a full pledge investigation on the matter.
Furthermore, given the scale of the investment involved, I believe the bid evaluation process should be entrusted to an independent institution rather than to a ministerial body such as the Road Development Authority (RDA), which may be vulnerable to external pressure.
I trust you will join me in upholding the core values that bonds the longstanding relationship between our people.
Yours faithfully
Rajen Valayden
Chief Editor
Capital Media
P.s – I could find no better illustration than the borrowed picture from our Indian counterpart covering the recent youth rallies across Bharat.
