New suspect in court as Michaela's dad is invited to island

Security officer Seenarain Mungoo (39) was the last person seen with the electronic key to Michaela's honeymoon suite.

He is expected to be charged for conspiracy today in Mapou District Court.

This afternoon, police officers have organised two confrontations between suspects with conflicting statements.

The suspects charged with murder, Avinash Treebhoowoon (29) and Sandip Mooneea (41) will be placed face-to-face and the MCIT (Major Crime Investigation Team) will tell them what each has accused the other of. This method should break down their presumed alliance and encourage further revelations.

The two security officers, Mungoo and Dassen Narainen (26) will also take part in this type of "confrontation".

The latest charge came as it emerged that police in Mauritius had sent a bizarre invite to Michaela's father.

Detective Inspector Ranjit Singh Jokhoo, who is currently investigating Michaela's murder at Legends Hotel, has revealed that he would be "happy to discuss the case with [Michaela's father] Mr Harte face-to-face".

"I could understand if Mr Harte decided to come to court to see the suspects for himself," the MCIT said.

"I could also understand he might want to visit the Legends Hotel so he could picture where his beloved daughter died.

"He has many questions and we will help him with everything we can.

"Mr Harte would be 100pc welcome in Mauritius and we would do all that we could for him while he was here," he insisted.

Authorities of the Indian Ocean Island have been keen to prove that they were doing all they could to solve this case that has tarnished the country's reputation as a tropical heaven.

Public officials such as Minister of Tourism and Leisure Nando Bhoda have repeatedly insisted that this was a one-off incident, and that Mauritius was still a safe place to visit.

He also said that the police and the government would provide as much support to the family of the victim as they would require, making this case a priority.

The island's standing has been further damaged by claims that a South African businesswoman was attacked and raped on her holiday to Mauritius in June 2009.

notorious

Despite the disturbing allegations and events that have occurred recently, Waterford hurling star John Mullane and his fiancee Stephanie Power are still due to spend their honeymoon at the now notorious Legends Hotel in Grand Gaube, after their wedding this April.

"We were worried about it and Stephanie was really concerned, but we've decided that we're going to go ahead with it," the GAA player said.

hnews@herald.ie