Mauritius Legislates To Create New Financial Crimes Commission

The government of Mauritius has introduced the Financial Crimes Commission Act to provide for the establishment of a new Financial Crimes Commission, which will be the apex agency in Mauritius to detect, investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

The Act, which is intended to create a robust and harmonised framework to combat financial crime, was passed by the National Assembly on 19 December 2023 and obtained the Presidential assent on 21 December. It will enter into force when proclaimed by Parliament at a future date.

When Mauritius was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring in 2021, it advised Mauritius to strengthen its efforts to ensure that money laundering cases were dealt with as a priority and in a timely manner. The Act is designed to address this recommendation in advance of the next FATF assessment in 2027.