Former Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has been arrested and is facing money laundering charges, the state-run Financial Crimes Commission said early on Sunday. The arrest followed searches by FCC detectives of different locations, including Jugnauth’s residence, during which they found and seized 114 million Mauritius Rupees (USD 2.4 million).

Jugnauth’s lawyer Raouf Gulbul told reporters on Sunday that his client had been provisionally charged in an alleged case of money laundering. Gulbul said his client denied the charges. He was released on bail on Sunday night, with the Court working exceptionally till late  ight on a Sunday.

In November last year, Mauritius’s new Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam announced an audit of the public finances, days after questioning the accuracy of some government data compiled by the previous administration.

The country’s former central bank governor was detained last month and released on bail after he was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.