The head of the main opposition party and seven other people are facing witchcraft charges from a Seychelles court.
As the principal opposition party in the nation, the United Seychelles Party (USP), Patrick Herminie intends to contest for president in 2025.
He has refuted the accusations.
He claimed to the local media that his party’s and his own reputations were being damaged by the arrest and prosecution.
The case, according to the police, has to do with the unearthing of two exhumed bodies from a cemetery on the island of Mahe.
Local media sources state that Mr. Herminie and his co-accused are being charged with a number of offenses, including conspiracy to commit witchcraft and possession of objects meant for use in witchcraft.
Authorities said that Mr. Herminie was found in possession of documents that appeared to have been stolen from locations that had been vandalized, including Catholic churches.
Additionally, they claim that Mr. Herminie’s name surfaced in a Whatsapp exchange between a Seychellois and a Tanzanian who was detained in September for having witchcraft-related goods in his hands.
In exchange for 30,000 Seychelles rupees ($2,100; £1,745) in bail, the court released Mr. Herminie and the other Seychchellois defendants. However, the Tanzanian suspect will remain in detention until the hearing in November.
