Corruption in Mauritius follows the familiar patterns of state-based corruption, namely government officials abusing their political powers for private gain in the country of Mauritius.
Some Mauritians have taken advantage of the government's corruption. In the local dialect, those who adopt such means are called traceurs or magouilleurs. Familiar methods include falsifying home addresses to get a child into a perceived "star school" or bribing officials to obtain a driver's license.[1]
On 28 May 1979, Member of Parliament Harish Boodhoo called for a general mobilization against corruption in a mass meeting that drew 35,000 people.[2] Cables leaked from the US embassy in 2008 described corruption in Mauritius as "pervasive and ingrained".[3] In May 2020, the European Commission identified Mauritius as a high-risk country, with strategic deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing regime.[4][5] According to a former US ambassador to Mauritius, the Mauritian-based Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has lost its credibility.[6]
According to Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Mauritius scored 51 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Mauritius ranked 55th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[7] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180).[8] For comparison with regional scores, the average score among sub-Saharan African countries[Note 1] was 33. The highest score in sub-Saharan Africa was 71 and the lowest score was 11.[9]
- ^ "ICAC: Ten years on – why we are still the champions of fraud and corruption". le Mauricien. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ "1979: une année mouvementée (I)". L'Express. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
28 mai : Harish Boodhoo attire 35 000 personnes à la place du Quai. Il réclame la mobilisation générale contre la corruption...10 juin : Il est question de créer une instance permanente de lutte contre la fraude et la corruption.
[28 May: Harish Boodhoo attracts 35,000 people to la place du Quai. He demands general mobilisation against corruption...10 June: discussion of creating a permanent body combatting fraud and corruption.] - ^ "Overview of Corruption in Mauritius" (PDF). transparency.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Alert: Mauritius identified as a high-risk third country". PwC. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Coutinho, Ashley (5 October 2020). "EU's revised list includes Mauritius among high risk jurisdictions". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Prayag, Touria (22 February 2016). ""The ICAC has lost all credibility"". Lexpress.mu. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated". Transparency.org. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Corruption Perceptions Index 2023: Mauritius". Transparency.org. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "CPI 2023 for Sub-Saharan Africa: Impunity for Corrupt Officials, Restricted Civic Space & Limited Access to Justice". Transparency.org. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
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