Réunion Woman Wins Supreme Court Order for DNA Retest in Mauritius Drug Case

A Réunion Island national facing provisional charges of synthetic drug importation in Mauritius has won a significant legal battle at the Supreme Court, with a judge ordering police to hand over forensic material so that an independent DNA re-examination can take place.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday 27 October 2026, Chief Justice Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul ordered the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU), the specialised police unit responsible for narcotics enforcement in Mauritius, to provide all documents necessary for a counter-analysis of conclusions previously reached by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), the government body that carries out official scientific testing in criminal cases.

The court gave the ADSU 15 days to transmit the required documents to the defence lawyers, following a formal notice that had been issued on 22 September 2026. Once those documents are received, the private laboratory ABIOLABS Ltd will have 30 days to complete the independent counter-analysis.

Marie Anne Pavade was arrested on 23 August 2025 at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, located at Plaisance in the east of Mauritius, after arriving on Air Mauritius flight MK 209 from Réunion. During a search of her luggage, officers discovered a cool box containing a suspicious package: 99 sheets of A4 paper allegedly soaked in synthetic cannabinoids, a category of laboratory-made substances that mimic the effects of cannabis and are classified as dangerous drugs under Mauritian law.

She was provisionally charged with importation of drugs under aggravating circumstances. The word "provisional" is important in the Mauritian legal context: it means the charge has been laid to allow the court process to begin, but the charge can be amended or confirmed as investigations and evidence reviews proceed.

The defence's push for a counter-analysis centres on challenging the FSL's findings. Independent forensic testing is a recognised legal right in Mauritius, and this ruling reinforces that accused persons can seek their own expert review of state forensic conclusions before any final charge or trial.

What this means: This ruling does not acquit Pavade or dismiss the case. It grants her legal team access to the evidence and a window of time to commission their own scientific examination. If the independent laboratory's findings differ materially from those of the FSL, that contradiction could become central to her defence. The timeline set by the court, 15 days for documents to be handed over, followed by 30 days for ABIOLABS to report, means results could be expected before the end of 2026.

Source: ION News