The authorities have been reiterating this in the past and now a global body has given the clean chit to the nation’s financial hub status. Mauritius has been ranked among the most protected countries against money laundering and financial crimes in the world by the 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2013/vol2/index.htm. The report singles out three categories of countries, namely jurisdictions of primary concern, jurisdictions of concern and other jurisdictions monitored. Mauritius is positioned in the ‘other jurisdictions monitored’ category, which demonstrates no immediate risk, sharing its position with other reputed countries such as New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden.

The US, UK, France and India have been put in the ‘primary concern’ category while South Africa is placed in the second category of ‘jurisdictions of concern’.

The INCSR is an annual report by the US Department of State. It describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in 2012. These involve drug and chemical control activities and money laundering and financial crimes. The ‘jurisdictions of primary concern’ category names around 60 countries including the Germany, China and Australia. They have been labelled ‘major money laundering countries’.

The INCSR analyses data from more than 200 jurisdictions around the world. http://theindependent.mu/business/3650-mauritius-low-on-financial-crime-risk-list.html