Mauritius Civil Servants Banned From Running Secret Side Businesses

Civil servants in Mauritius are being put on notice: running a private business on the side — quietly and without permission — is no longer acceptable. New regulations or enforcement directives are tightening the rules around public sector employees who engage in undeclared commercial activities while remaining on the government payroll. **The practice under scrutiny** For years, a significant number of Mauritian civil servants have operated small businesses — shops, consultancy work, construction ventures, and trading activities — without formally declaring them to their employer or seeking the necessary authorisation. The phenomenon, known colloquially in French-speaking Mauritius as doing business *en catimini* (on the sly), has long existed in a grey zone between tolerance and official prohibition. Public sector employment rules in Mauritius, governed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and various statutory bodies, generally require civil servants to obtain prior approval before engaging in any private commercial activity. The concern is straightforward: undisclosed business interests can create conflicts of interest, reduce productivity, and compromise the integrity of public administration. **What is changing** Authorities are now signalling a stricter approach to enforcement. Civil servants found to be operating undeclared businesses risk disciplinary action, which can range from formal warnings to dismissal depending on the severity of the breach and the nature of the business activity. The crackdown is part of a broader push to improve governance and transparency within the Mauritian public sector — an area that has drawn criticism from civil society and opposition political figures over the years. **Who is affected** The rules apply to the full spectrum of government employees — from junior administrative officers to senior civil servants across ministries, local authorities, and parastatal bodies. Employees of statutory corporations and government-linked institutions may fall under separate but similar conduct codes. Civil servants who legitimately wish to run a business are not automatically barred from doing so, but they must go through the proper channels: submitting a written request, disclosing the nature of the activity, and obtaining written approval from the relevant authority before proceeding. **What this means** For the roughly 75,000-strong Mauritian public sector workforce, this signals that the era of looking the other way is ending. Employees with undisclosed business interests would be wise to regularise their situation promptly — either by seeking retrospective approval or winding down activities that conflict with their public duties. For the wider public, stricter enforcement could improve service delivery and reduce instances where government employees are distracted by or benefit financially from activities that overlap with their official roles. The move also reflects growing pressure on Mauritius to align its public sector governance standards with international best practices, particularly as the country works to maintain its reputation as a well-regulated financial and business hub in the Indian Ocean region. Source: Le Defi Media