37 years on, I am haunted as police renew probe into murder of Gerard Hoarau
By Lewis Betsy
New moves by British police to investigate the murder of my friend Gerard Hoarau have brought back terrible memories.
I was due to meet Gerard at 3pm on the day he was shot dead outside his London home.
I later received a threatening phone call – and I feared that I would be next.
Those moments 37 years ago still haunt me.
The disclosure that a new officer has been appointed at Scotland Yard to investigate unsolved murder cases including that of Gerard has raised a few questions in Seychelles.
Gerard, then 34 and a leader of the Opposition group Mouvement Pour la Resistance, was shot multiple times with a Sterling sub-machine gun on the doorsteps of his home in Greencourt Avenue, Edgware, at around 10.15am on Friday, November 29 in 1985.
The Metropolitan Police say the investigation is being led by detectives from their counter terrorism command, and officers continue to explore lines of enquiry in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the counter terrorism command, said: “While we keep an open mind as to the circumstances around Gerard's murder, we can't rule out the possibility of it being linked to his political life, and this remains a line of enquiry.”
There is no doubt in my mind – and that of many others – that the killing was politically motivated and ordered from the top. The police now talk of a conspiracy and I hope this will lead to the identification of major figures still alive who were in the Rene government at the time.
Two arrests were made as part of the investigation, following a 2016 review of the case by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.
Ian Withers, then 77, was arrested in Antrim, Northern Ireland, on August 2 in 2018, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. The former private detective admitted to spying on Gerard for the Rene regime, but denied any involvement in the murder. He was released under investigation.
Another man in his 80s was also arrested at Gatwick Airport on August 9 in 2018 arriving on an inbound flight into the UK, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. He remains released under investigation.
It is interesting that this move comes after the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission handed over its report to President Ramkalawan.
With regard to perpetrators, the remit of the TRNUC was that “none of the evidence received before the Commission in relation to that perpetrator will be admissible in any civil or criminal prosecution against that perpetrator”.
But it seems more than coincidence that a police response has been provoked since the hearings.
Scotland Yard had already interviewed a few people in Seychelles, including Ian Withers, and indeed he gave an account of some of this activities over Zoom to the TRNUC.
But some who may be able to shed some light on the matter have never been interviewed.
For the past two years Scotland Yard has been trying to see people in Seychelles but have not been able to do so as they need permission from the Attorney General’s office and State House.
Why is this taking so long?
Meanwhile, the Met Police are asking anyone with information in relation to the murder of Hoarau to contact the investigation team at GerardHoarauMurderAppeal@met.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously quoting "Met Police – SO15 Op Edgcourt" on the UK number 0800 555 111.
Commander Murphy said the police wanted to identify everyone involved in what he said was a conspiracy to murder Gerard. The killing he said, was “very professionally conducted”.
He went on: "The passage of time has not diminished our efforts to achieve justice for Gerard's family.
"This remains a sensitive and extremely challenging investigation, and detectives are appealing to anyone who may have information about Gerard's murder to come forward.
“We appreciate that people might be hesitant to tell police what they know about Gerard's murder, but I want to give assurances that any information provided to officers will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
Gerard's brother Ralph Hoarau, said: "Gerard's love for his country and his people was absolute and unconditional. On behalf of our family, I appeal to all our fellow Seychellois to kindly cooperate with the Met Police and afford them every assistance in their investigations and in the pursuit of establishing the truth.”
The conspiracy probe will clearly take the investigation beyond the man who shot Gerard and those who supplied the weapon. It will involve those who knew what was happening in the Rene regime at the time and those who took the decision to kill my friend. Without question, this should go to the very top.
Like everyone else, I seek justice for Gerard’s murder, but time is running out. We are all getting older and there is a concern that the family may not see justice served in their lifetimes. Equally, the perpetrators and possible informants may well die before being able to supply evidence.
For the sake of fairness and justice and to bring closure to this tragic episode in our time, I appeal to anyone who has any information to give it to the police as soon as possible. It can be done anonymously.
We owe it not only to Gerard’s memory, but to the cause of democracy in our beloved country.
