Allen Vincatassin

Allen Vincatassin is a Chagossian activist who is the first and current President of the Diego Garcia and Chagos Islands Council. He was arrested and jailed in 2020 and 2021 for fraud.

Vincatassin in 2011

Early life

Vincatassin was one year old when he was evicted from the Chagos Islands. His parents were not married and so ended up on separate islands. Vincatassin went with his paternal grandparents to Mauritius where he was forced to live in poverty.

Political career

Vincatassin was elected as the President of the Diego Garcia and Chagos Islands Council in 2011.[1]

Vincatassin is opposed to Olivier Bancoult's Chagos Refugee Group as "they want Mauritian sovereignty over the islands. That is something we cannot negotiate. We believe that the rights of our people come first, not the state of Mauritius. We are proud to be British citizens and we believe a true democratic future lies with the UK."[2]

Vincatassin said that the government "should disclose how much money it has received" from the sale of .io domain names and asked the government to provide "assurances that it will be used for the islands, including the resettlement that so many Chagossians want to see happen."[3]

In 2015, Vincatassin was interviewed by George Galloway on RT UK's Sputnik.[1]

Criminal activities

In February 2020 Allen Vincatassin, along with Sandeeren Mareemootoo, Yiliana Hengari and Marie Dorothee, appeared in the Snaresbrook Crown Court to face charges of fraud, conspiracy to defraud and fraud by abuse of position.[4] They are alleged to have conspired in 2016 to swindle GBP 88,000 out of 83 year old Marie Lucienne Anodin's bank account. Vincatassin is also alleged to have used his influence to convince Anodin, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, to sell her Newham home to a real estate agency for GBP 300,000 which was about half of its market value.[5] Vincatassin was sentenced to a four-year prison sentence in November 2021.[6]

Books
  • The Flight to Freedom (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform: 2015), ISBN 1499224176

References
  1. ""UK has a moral duty to Let Us Return" Chagossian Allen Vincatassin on Sputnik". UK Chagos Support Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. Morrison, Alex (23 February 2011). "Meet the world's smallest democratic government". Open Democracy. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. Milmo, Cahal (30 June 2014). "Government accused of profiting from sales of Chagos Islands '.io' domain name". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. Ikonen, Charlotte. "President 'conned elderly woman with Alzheimer's'". The Argus. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  5. Armoogum, Vilorsha (2020-02-25). "Allégations d'escroquerie: Allen Vincatassin aurait vendu à Rs 12 M une maison valant Rs 25 M" (in French). L'Express. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  6. Sophie, Lovina (2021-11-13). "Escroquerie en Angleterre: le fils de feu Lucienne Anodin satisfait que justice soit rendue" (in French). L'Express. Retrieved 2023-03-19.


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