Seychelles main opposition leader, Patrick Herminie has been arrested and charged with witchcraft, after police discovered and exhumed two bodies from a cemetery on the island of Mahé.
Herminie, who was arraigned in court on Tuesday along with seven others, has however, denied the charges, saying his prosecution is a “political show” staged by the government to taint his image and frustrate his campaign.
The politician, who is seen as the main challenger to President Wavel Ramkalawan in the country’s presidential election in 2025 under the banner of the United Seychelles Party (USP), is facing several charges, including possession of items intended for use in witchcraft, conspiracy to perform witchcraft and procuring services related to witchcraft, according to local media.
Prosecutors allege that the opposition leader’s name appeared in a WhatsApp message between a Seychellois national and Tanzanian suspect who was arrested on 21st September at the main international airport.
Local media reports that the Tanzanian suspect was found with items related to witchcraft, including stones, black wooden artefacts, small bottles of brownish liquid, a collection of powders, and documents with strange language and “demonic and satanic” symbols.
“The documents were similar to those found in Catholic churches and other places that had been vandalised in Mahé, Seychelles’ largest island,” prosecutors alleged.
Herminie, who was the Speaker of Seychelles’ parliament between 2007 and 2016, told local media that more than 40 police officers had raided his party’s offices in the capital, Victoria in what he claimed were acts of intimidation.
He added that the officers searched for items related to witchcraft, including “bones, body parts, and objects associated with Christianity” but did not find any.
Herminie described his arrest as “a political show” by President Ramkalawan to “eliminate those who he knows will remove him from power in the 2025 elections.”
“In Seychelles’ history, there has never been until now, a political party leader arrested for superstition and witchcraft. This is something new and it is shameful for Seychelles,” he was quoted as saying by the Seychelles News Agency.