The head of the main opposition party in Seychelles, Patrick Herminie, was today charged with suspected “witchcraft”. The leader of the Seychelles Unidas party was arrested at his party headquarters on Friday and his office was searched. He was released on bail following his arraignment today.
After his arrest, Herminie said that for him it was “a decision that came directly from the presidency”, said head of state Wavel Ramkalawan. Herminie is a candidate for the 2025 presidential elections.
“Unnatural and superstitious” actions
Herminie was charged along with six other Seychellois and a Tanzanian national as part of an investigation launched into “witchcraft” and “unnatural and superstitious” acts.
The investigation concerns the discovery in August of the unearthed bodies of an elderly woman and a young man in a cemetery on the main island of Mahe.
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The name of Herminie, who was President of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2016, was found on the phone of the Tanzanian national who was detained at the Seychelles international airport in late September.
According to the Seychelles News Agency, he was carrying, among other things, stones, small bottles with a brownish liquid, a variety of powders and several documents with language and symbols described as satanic.
According to prosecutors, the symbols in these documents are similar to others found in desecrated sites throughout the archipelago, especially in Catholic churches.