Mauritius - February 2025

On 4 February, newly elected Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam revealed to parliament that he had halted a mass surveillance system, which he alleged had been set up and operated by the previous government. Concerns about state surveillance were raised in October 2024, following a series of leaked recordings of phone conversations involving politicians, journalists and diplomats, however Ramgoolam’s revelations brought the surveillance system to light and were based on the preliminary findings of an investigation carried out by the Mauritian police and international cybersecurity experts. According to these findings, the system used advanced interception technology capable of monitoring phone calls, internet traffic and social media communications across the country and had, allegedly, operated without judicial oversight. The Prime Minister said that surveillance had stopped since he took office in November 2024 and that the equipment had been deactivated.

Sources: Le Mauricien, L'Express, Mauritius Times, The Africa Report, International IDEA              

On 15 February, Mauritius’ Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) arrested former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on money laundering charges, marking an escalation of Mauritian authorities’ investigations into alleged corruption under Jugnauth’s administration, which spanned from 2017 to 2024. His arrest, along with that of two prominent business people and a deputy mayor, came after the FCC said it had seized suitcases of cash and luxury watches from a number of locations, including the former Prime Minister’s home. In January, authorities arrested and charged the former Bank of Mauritius governor with conspiracy to commit fraud, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal disbursements from an investment company owned by the Bank. This investigation is also reported to be looking into other high-profile individuals, including the former finance minister, Renganaden Padayachy.    

Sources: Mauritius Times, The Africa Report, Jeune Afrique, Barron's