For more than a decade, a handful of old press reports has followed my name online. They concern a 2013 complaint by the University of Mauritius, a two-week appointment at MauBank in 2016, and a Wikipedia page deleted the same year. I have never answered them in full, and silence has been read as guilt. This article sets out what was alleged, what the authorities decided, and what has never happened. Every fact below is verifiable, and I invite anyone to verify it.
Why I am writing this now
I was 25 when the first allegation was made. I chose not to comment, believing that a person who has done nothing wrong should let the process run. The process ran. The Director of Public Prosecutions found no case. But the headlines stayed online and the outcome did not.
I now work as a life and executive coach, corporate trainer and leadership consultant across Mauritius, India and Singapore, including with credible organisations like Google, American Express, TATA Group, European Union among others. My work rests on trust. So here is the record, allegation by allegation.
Allegation one: the 2013 University of Mauritius complaint
What was alleged. In 2013, based on an anonymous letter, the Registrar of the University of Mauritius lodged a complaint at Moka police station alleging that I, a former student, had deliberately falsified examination results in order to obtain a scholarship in England.
What actually happened. The file was referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The DPP examined it and concluded there was no matter for prosecution. No charge was ever brought. A source at the DPP’s office later described the file as closed. When the University of Mauritius Convocation, an association of former students, pressed for the matter to be pursued, the DPP’s position did not change. La Sentinelle reported all of this, including the DPP’s decision.
My position. I did not falsify any result or any document. At no point was I summoned, questioned or asked to give a statement by the police or the DPP. The only authority with the power to decide whether there was a case to answer decided that there was not. A complaint is not a charge, and an allegation is not a finding.
Allegation two: the 2016 MauBank episode
What was reported. On 1 August 2016, I joined MauBank as Senior Manager, Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing. Within days, press reports citing an unnamed source inside the bank claimed that my qualifications were in doubt, that I had been given a deadline to explain them, and that an internal enquiry was being considered.
What actually happened. I resigned on 18 August 2016. I told L’Express at the time, and I repeat now, that the bank never asked me to justify anything. No enquiry was opened. No finding was made. No regulator ever contacted me about my qualifications or my appointment. I left because the coverage was damaging the bank and damaging me, and because I was not prepared to spend a corporate affairs role defending my own name against an anonymous source.
My position. The reports contained no allegation from the bank itself. They contained a source and a possibility, and neither became a fact. The 2013 matter, closed by the DPP three years earlier, was recycled to give the story weight.
The deleted Wikipedia page
A Wikipedia article about me existed from 2012 and was deleted in September 2016 after a deletion discussion. The stated ground was notability, meaning insufficient coverage in reliable sources, not any adverse finding. A mirror site now republishes the old text.
A deletion for notability says nothing about a person’s conduct. And the archived page itself records that no charges were brought because the DPP found no case. The page sometimes cited against me confirms the outcome in my favour.
What has never happened
For the record:
- I have never been charged with any offence, in Mauritius or anywhere else.
- I have never been summoned, arrested or questioned by the police in connection with any of these matters.
- I have never been asked by the DPP, MauBank or any regulator for a statement or a clarification.
- I have never been the subject of an adverse finding by any court, tribunal, regulator, professional body or employer.
- No awarding institution has ever questioned or withdrawn a qualification I hold.
How gossip travels on a small island
I say this as a coach, not as a complainant. Mauritius is about 1.3 million people on roughly 2,000 square kilometres. Everyone is two introductions away from everyone else. A rumour started at a wedding in the north reaches a boardroom in Port Louis by Monday, and it arrives without its context, its date or its outcome. Nobody forwards a decision letter. Everybody forwards a headline.
Psychology has a name for the engine underneath. Social comparison is how we measure ourselves against the people around us, and in a small community those people are visible all the time. When someone young is appointed, published or promoted, the comparison stings, and a story that cuts them down to size is emotionally rewarding to repeat. It does not have to be true. It only has to be plausible and a little enjoyable.
A complaint costs nothing to lodge. An anonymous source costs nothing to quote. The person named pays in reputation before any authority has read the file, and keeps paying long after it is closed. I do not know the motives of everyone involved and I will not speculate about individuals. I know the pattern, and I know it is not evidence.
A note on verification
Every qualification I hold can be verified directly with the awarding institution.
You can see all my qualifications here: https://drkrishnaathal.com/about/
And I welcome verification from any employer, client, partner or journalist.
Frequently asked questions
Was Krishna Athal ever charged with fraud or forgery?
No. A complaint was lodged in 2013. The Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the file and found no grounds to prosecute.
Did Krishna Athal fake his certificates?
No. The only allegation of that kind was examined by the DPP and closed. Every qualification I hold is verifiable with the awarding institution.
Why did Krishna Athal leave MauBank after two weeks?
I resigned on 18 August 2016 after press reports based on an unnamed source. The bank never asked me to justify my qualifications, and no enquiry or finding followed.
Was the Wikipedia page deleted because of the allegations?
No. It was deleted for notability in September 2016. The page itself records that no charges were brought.
A Personal Note
I have built my working life since then in the open: as founder of YUVA, as a coach and trainer, as an author and speaker, and as a doctoral graduate. I am not asking anyone to take my word over the newspapers.
I am asking them to read what the newspapers actually reported, including the DPP’s decision, and to tell the difference between an allegation and a finding. If you have a question about any of it, write to me. I will answer.
“Some people will not attack what you did. They will attack what they wish you had done, and hope the story travels faster than the facts.”
Dr Krishna Athal
