Maminiaina Ravatomanga, often known as Mamy Ravatomanga (born in 1969 in Morondava), is a Malagasy businessman, owner of the Sodiat group, and close adviser to President Andry Rajoelina.[1] He is quoted by Forbes, in 2017, as the second richest man in Madagascar, behind Ylias Akbaraly.[2]

Biography

In 1990, he founded Sodiat, a company specializing in transport. It is now a conglomerate with activities in oil maintenance, construction, the press, hotels, tourism, health, and import-export[3] and is one of the most important companies in Madagascar.

In 2009, he got closer to Andry Rajoelina during 2008, their two companies being subject to the tax authorities, whose investigations had been initiated by the entourage of the president at the time, Marc Ravalomanana. Subsequently, Ravatomanga supported Andry Rajoelina's accession to power through a coup d'état in March 2009, became his unofficial adviser on economic issues, and therefore remained close to him.[3]

Accusations of embezzlement and financial crimes

He is cited by the press in several cases of tax evasion and several financial crimes in Madagascar and France.[1][4] His name appears in the Panama Papers leaks, and he is notably the majority shareholder in a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.[1][4]

In Madagascar, he is also accused of embezzlement of public funds to the detriment of the national water and electricity company Jirama, while he sat on its board of directors. He is also accused of illegal trafficking of threatened rosewood to Asia via state-delivered-derogations and offshore companies.[1] In 2015, he was banned from leaving the territory, and on May 26, 2016, his home was raided by the Malagasy authorities.[4]

He is also involved in the legal scandals of Patrick Balkany. In February 2016, the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation against him and his wife, Ramy Rakotoniary, for "organized money laundering" and "tax fraud" in the acquisition of several real estate properties in the Paris suburbs via opaque financial arrangements involving offshore companies, some of which are based in Mauritius.[5][6] From June 2018 to June 2019, four of his properties in the Paris suburbs were seized as part of the preliminary investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.[7] Moreover, he is involved in the Carlos Ghosn affair. Indeed, one of the planes of the Malagasy airline TOA, one of its subsidiaries, was used by the ex-CEO of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi to illegally flee Japan.[8]

In November 2022, Transparency International Madagascar, calls for an investigation into the organizations and individuals involved in the export of Malagasy lychees to France, including Mamy Ravatomanga, a member of the board of directors of the Groupement des exporters de litchis and one of the main exporters of Malagasy litchis to France, via one of its subsidiaries.[9][10]

In August 2023, the preliminary investigation by the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) opened against Mamy Ravatomanga was cancelled. This procedure related to acts of money laundering in an organized gang, corruption of a public official, tax evasion and trafficking in rosewood. The PNF justified this decision, on the grounds of an “insufficiently serious offence”.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Un milliardaire malgache dans le viseur du PNF". zinfos974.com (in French). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  2. ↑ "Ten Multi-Millionaires From Madagascar You Should Know". Forbes.com. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  3. 1 2 "Mamy Ravatomanga, businessman et éminence grise de TGV". African Intelligence (in French). 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  4. 1 2 3 "Madagascar: perquisition au domicile de l'homme d'affaires Mamy Ravatomanga". RFI (in French). 27 May 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  5. ↑ "Quand l'argent malgache finit à Levallois". lexpress.fr (in French). 9 May 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  6. ↑ "Corruption alléguée en France : enquête sur un proche du pouvoir malgache présent dans l'offshore mauricien". defimedia.info (in French). 19 May 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2023..
  7. ↑ "Madagascar : levée des saisies des biens de Mamy Ravatomanga en France". Jeune Afrique (in French). 15 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  8. ↑ Emre Sari (10 January 2020). "Fuite de Carlos Ghosn : la compagnie aérienne malgache TOA en question". La Croix (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  9. ↑ "Bras de fer politico-judiciaire autour de la filière du litchi malgache". Africa Intelligence (in French). 1 December 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023..
  10. ↑ "TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL EN APPELLE À LA REDEVABILITÉ DANS LE COMMERCE DE LITCHI DE MADAGASCAR". Transparency.org (in French). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Jeune Afrique – Premier site d'actualité sur l'Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-14.
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