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The Crime, Punishment and Rights Research Cluster congratulates Justice Dr Mathilda Twomey-Woods, Adjunct Professor at the School of Law, University of Galway, on the publication of her Commission of Inquiry into the Lease and Development of Assomption Island in the Republic of Seychelles.

The Report is available here.

Appointed as Sole Commissioner by the President of Seychelles in December 2025, Justice Twomey-Woods was tasked with investigating one of the most significant public controversies in the country’s recent history.  The Commission examined the lease and proposed development of Assomption Island, an ecologically significant island situated adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Aldabra Atoll.  The terms of reference for the Commission of Inquiry extended across issues of constitutional governance, environmental protection, public procurement, financial probity, regulatory independence, transparency, executive accountability and the rule of law.

The Commission heard evidence from senior political leaders, public officials, regulators, developers, environmental scientists, and civil society organisations, reviewed an extensive documentary record, and undertook detailed legal, financial, and environmental analysis.

Public hearings were conducted between January and March 2026 before the Commission produced its comprehensive Final Report, comprising more than 500 pages and accompanied by extensive appendices.

The completion of such a detailed and carefully reasoned report within approximately six months of the Commission’s establishment represents an exceptional achievement, particularly given the breadth and complexity of its terms of reference.

It also provides a striking example of the timely and cost-effective delivery of a major public inquiry, contrasting with the experience in many jurisdictions, including Ireland, where comparable commissions of inquiry have often taken several years to complete and incur costs running to many millions of euro.

The Commission’s findings identify serious weaknesses in governance in the Seychelles, concluding that executive interference undermined the independence of key regulatory bodies responsible for planning, environmental protection, and public administration.

The report also identifies significant shortcomings in transparency, accountability and financial governance, while making an extensive series of recommendations aimed at strengthening constitutional safeguards, protecting regulatory independence, improving environmental decision-making and restoring public confidence in the integrity of government institutions.

The report is rigorous and independent.

Justice Twomey-Woods has made an exceptional contribution to public life and the rule of law in the Republic of Seychelles.

Through her distinguished judicial career, including as the first woman appointed to the Seychelles Court of Appeal in 2011 and subsequently as Chief Justice from 2015 to 2020, she has played a central role in strengthening the country’s legal institutions and the administration of justice.

A graduate of the University of Galway’s School of Law, where she completed her LL.M. and PhD, Justice Twomey-Woods continues to contribute to legal scholarship and judicial education internationally.

In addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and a valued member of the Crime, Punishment and Rights Research Cluster, she is Academic Director of the Judicial Institute for Africa, based at the University of Cape Town, where she supports judicial education and the development of the judiciary across the African continent.

The School of Law congratulates Justice Twomey-Woods on the publication of this landmark Commission of Inquiry report and on her continuing contribution to the rule of law in Seychelles and internationally.