President Irfaan Ali yesterday said that High Commissioner to India, Charrandass Persaud has agreed to return home following the furore generated by a video in which he was seen cursing a woman in New Delhi last year August and using sexually suggestive gestures.
In a three-minute video address to the nation, Ali did not issue a reprimand to Persaud or say explicitly that he had been recalled. The President characterised the return as if it had been by mutual agreement and for the need to always show behaviour of the highest order.
Amid an outpouring of revulsion over Persaud’s conduct, the President shed no light on why this incident had not been made known when it occurred and action taken immediately. The President also did not address the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday that it considered the matter to be closed as Persaud had been investigated and cleared.