After CPI 2025: Rebuilding Trust in the Fight Against Corruption

Editorial

On 10 February, the annual verdict of Transparency International fell with unusual severity for the Republic of Mauritius. In the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the country scored 48 out of 100 — slipping below the symbolic threshold of 50 and recording its lowest level since the adoption of the current methodology.

The ranking tells an equally sobering story. From 56th place globally in 2024, Mauritius now stands at 61st. On the African continent, it has lost its place on the podium, overtaken by the Seychelles (24th globally), Botswana and Cape Verde. For a jurisdiction long marketed as a stable, rules-based financial centre, the optics are troubling.

Yet before succumbing to alarmism, Mauritius must confront a more nuanced and uncomfortable question: does this score reflect a genuine increase in corruption, or is it the by-product of a more aggressive assault on impunity?

A Decade of Gradual Erosion

The decline cannot be dismissed as a statistical accident. In the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, Mauritius stood at 57. The slide to 48 in 2025 marks a steady erosion of perceived governance standards over more than a decade. Observers have pointed to persistent weaknesses in areas such as political party financing, transparency in public procurement, and the protection of whistleblowers.

Perception does not measure proven wrongdoing. It reflects how investors, risk analysts and other experts judge the integrity of public institutions. When they sense a lack of transparency in high-level decision-making, confidence declines — even if no crime has been established.

The Detection Paradox

The year 2025 was dominated by the aggressive activism of the new Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), which replaced the former Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The FCC has reopened dormant files, launched high-profile arrests, and triggered what many have described as a media “tsunami” of financial scandals.

Here lies the detection paradox. When an anti-corruption agency intensifies its activity, it inevitably exposes misconduct that may previously have been buried. To international observers surveyed by Transparency International, the sudden visibility of wrongdoing can create the impression of a system riddled with corruption — even if the reality is that the state has finally begun cleaning its stables.

Several cases have shaped this perception. In February 2025, the arrest of a former Prime Minister in what the press dubbed the “suitcase scandal” sent shockwaves through the political class. Allegations of money laundering involving approximately Rs 114 million in cash and luxury items projected an image of systemic rot at the apex of power.

Simultaneously, the public sector was rattled by renewed scrutiny of procurement procedures during the pandemic, notably in the so-called Molnupiravir affair. Questions surrounding emergency tendering processes and the management of health funds fuelled suspicions that safeguards at the highest executive level had been circumvented or neutralised.

On the land and financial front, the Eco Deer Park — or “Stag Party” — affair highlighted allegations of bribery linked to the allocation of 350 arpents of State land at Grand Bassin. The symbolism was powerful: the potential undervaluation of national assets in favour of private interests. Other cases have also drawn the attention of the FCC and placed them under public scrutiny, reinforcing the perception of corruption across different sectors of the country.

Even operational successes have contributed to the negative perception. In August 2025, the dismantling of drug-related money-laundering networks — including the seizure of 22 luxury vehicles — was undeniably a law-enforcement victory. Yet it simultaneously reinforced the unsettling notion that such criminal structures had flourished for years under insufficient institutional oversight during the ICAC era.

In short, visibility has a cost. When scandals erupt in rapid succession, they dominate headlines, shape narratives, and imprint themselves on international perception indices.

Independence: The Missing Pillar?

If the FCC’s activism explains part of the CPI decline, structural concerns explain the rest. Transparency International has repeatedly emphasised the importance of institutional independence. In Mauritius, the concentration of powers in the hands of the FCC’s Director General — appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister — remains a central point of friction.

Perception hinges not only on the number of arrests, but on the perceived fairness and impartiality of prosecutions. As long as anti-corruption enforcement can be portrayed — fairly or unfairly — as susceptible to political instrumentalisation, doubts will persist.

The credibility of any anti-corruption framework depends on the conviction that justice is neither selective nor strategic. A justice system perceived as operating at “two speeds” erodes confidence more deeply than inaction.

Reform and Recalibration in 2026

Conscious of the reputational stakes, the government has responded in early 2026 with a series of legislative and regulatory reforms.

First, the activation of the Operations Review Committee (ORC), composed of former senior members of the judiciary, aims to provide independent oversight of FCC decisions. If genuinely empowered, this body could serve as a critical buffer against accusations of political interference.

Second, new corporate liability guidelines now impose unprecedented obligations on private companies. Under reforms introduced in January 2026, firms may face fines of up to Rs 20 million for acts of active corruption committed by employees, unless adequate compliance mechanisms are demonstrably in place. This shift places the private sector squarely within the integrity equation.

Third, Mauritius has strengthened international cooperation, signing memoranda of understanding with organisations such as the Basel Institute on Governance. By importing technical expertise and aligning with global best practices, the authorities seek to reinforce the jurisdiction’s credibility.

Meanwhile, the FCC (Amendment) Act 2025 has enhanced operational capabilities, including the possibility of joint investigations with the police under Article 58A. This integrated approach is designed to dismantle sophisticated money-laundering networks and drug cartels with greater efficiency.

The strategy is thus dual in nature: robust enforcement on one hand, structural reassurance on the other.

From Scandal to Systemic Change

Mauritius now stands at a crossroads. A score of 48 is not merely a statistical setback; it is a reputational alarm bell. The country’s comparative advantage has long rested on political stability, predictable regulation and the rule of law. Erosion in perceived integrity threatens not only rankings but investment flows and diplomatic standing.

Yet the CPI decline could also represent a transitional phase. If 2025 was the year of exposure — a year when dormant scandals surfaced in rapid succession — 2026 must become the year of consolidation. The “tsunami” of investigations must translate into consistent prosecutions, transparent trials and reasoned judgments.

Above all, institutional independence must move from aspiration to demonstrable reality. The ORC must function as more than a symbolic safeguard; it must visibly scrutinise decisions and command public trust.

In the long term, Mauritius will need to address structural lacunae that have persisted for years: robust legislation on access to information, comprehensive reform of political party financing, and stronger statutory protection for whistleblowers. Without these foundational pillars, enforcement alone will not suffice.

The detection paradox teaches a difficult lesson. Cleaning house is messy. Dust clouds rise before the air clears. For a period, the very act of confronting corruption may amplify perceptions of decay. But transparency, if sustained and impartial, ultimately rebuilds credibility.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 13 February 2026