Last month, Mauritius police's anti-money laundering unit issued an order for the arrest of Harvesh Kumar Seegolam over the case, without providing details. Seegolam was out of the country when the order was issued.

"The former Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, Harvesh Seegolam, was arrested on his arrival at Plaisance airport this Friday, January 3," the online version of Mauritius' Le Défi Media Group reported.

A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest but declined to give any details.

There was no immediate response to Reuters messages and calls from Seegolam's lawyer.

The arrest was also reported by other outlets including the daily l'Express.

The ex-governor's arrest is the first major move by the government of Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who has said the previous government falsified the country's gross domestic product, budget deficit and public debt figures for years.

In a report issued to parliament, Ramgoolam also accused the central bank of printing money to fund the government's Mauritius Investment Corporation, set up in 2020 to help companies deal with effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Reporting by Villen Anganan; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa, Bhargav Acharya and Tomasz Janowski

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