Fears: British High Commission phones hacked during talks in Chagos Islands

Leaked footage has sparked fears that the phones of the British High Commission in Mauritius were hacked around the time the UK began negotiations over the handover of the Chagos Islands.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed that police in Mauritius are investigating after audio recordings of apparent conversations between British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre and other political figures were published on the Mauritian Facebook page Missie Moustass (Mr. Mustache).

The clips purport to show a conversation between Ms Pierre and local businessman Ken Arian, chief executive of Airport Holdings, who recently welcomed the “decolonization” of the Chagos Islands.

sources told The Independent The conversation is believed to have taken place around October or November 2022, meaning it likely took place at the start of negotiations over the Indian Ocean islands.

At one point, Ms. Pierre is heard saying, “I don’t have a prime minister at the moment,” adding, “You know what, I can say it now, but we haven’t had a prime minister for two months.”

This happened around the time Liz Truss was forced to resign as Prime Minister, not long after she began the Chagos talks.

The Chagos issue is sensitive due to the secret joint British and US air base on Diego Garcia (the largest island in the Chagos archipelago). The agreement struck by the government allows the UK to keep the facility for the next 100 years, but there are concerns the deal could expose the islands to interference from China.

An FCDO source has told The Independent that the leak is “the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius” and they are unable to provide further comment.

It is understood that one of several complaints to the police in Mauritius came from the High Commission and that neither phone tapping nor AI manipulation have been ruled out so far.

Murvind Beetun, an investigative journalist based in Mauritius, narrated The Independent A recording of one of his phone conversations was leaked on the Facebook page.

He added: “The Facebook page has been closed but the videos are still available on TikTok.”

Karen Walter, deputy editor of L’Express in Mauritius, said the Facebook page appeared to contain leaked telephone conversations and WhatsApp calls from two former prime ministers, the current opposition leader and his predecessors, and other people in key constitutional positions.

She told The Independent: “It is noteworthy that a diplomat from the British High Commission in Mauritius is also involved in the leaks.”

The Inform The Mauritius podcast also highlighted the allegedly wiretapped conversations. At least five journalists are also said to have been targeted so far, including Mr Beetun.

Outgoing Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth denied that his government was behind the alleged leaks during an Alliance Lepep youth political rally in his Quartier Militaire and Moka constituency. He described the recordings as “made-up conspiracies and untruths.”

He claimed artificial intelligence was “used to manipulate votes and create false conversations.”

However, several apparent victims of the phone tapping claimed the recordings were real.

Mr. Beetun told us The Independent: “My conversation that was leaked yesterday reflects the truth, it is not invented by AI. It was a conversation going back to August 9, 2022.”

Shakeel Mohamed, a senior lawyer and former opposition leader in Mauritius and the Mauritius Labor Party’s candidate in the upcoming elections, said several phone calls he made were also included in the leak.

He said: “I came across many posts on Facebook and on TikTok about several conversations and I came across two of them where I spoke to the former Prime Minister and also to her Labor leader in Mauritius. They were actual conversations that took place.

“For one thing, AI replication in Creole is absurd as a defensive measure. That doesn’t exist, that technology doesn’t exist in Creole – it doesn’t exist with that precision.

“And I can confirm that it is my voice, I remember that conversation. There are further discussions with judges and politicians in Mauritius. People I know, they have confirmed to me that they are real.

“I am shocked and embarrassed about our reputation. This is not Mauritius.”

The Mauritius Police Commissioner’s officer also warned that phone tapping was illegal.

A statement said: “Police remind the general public that it is illegal to intercept and disclose any communications or telecommunications device.”

The warning suggests the wiretapping may have come from local amateurs, adding: “An investigation has been launched to authenticate the voices and identify the malicious sources on Facebook.”