Republic of Mauritius- Some 31 complaints registered by the ICTA and Cybercrime Unit during curfew period

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, gave this reply, today, in the National Assembly, to a parliamentary question pertaining to the number of reported cases of fake news and disinformation posted thereat during the curfew period.

Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that the complaints are examined and channelled to the appropriate authorities with a view to resolving same or providing appropriate guidance to the consumer.  On the basis of legal advice obtained, he said, the Authority refers these complaints to the Commissioner of Police for investigation. The public is also advised to contact the MAUCORS, which is a national online system set up by CERT-MU that allows secure reporting of cybercrimes occurring on social media, he added.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister pointed out that four cases pertaining to breach of section 46 (g) the ICTA Act have been reported thereat during the same period and one case was identified during Cyber patrol by the Cybercrime Unit. The authors of three of the cases are being traced and, in the remaining two, where the authors have been identified, four persons have been arrested. Three of them have been released on bail and one was allowed to go after enquiry. Enquiry is ongoing in all the cases.

In addition, he underlined that section 47(1) of the ICTA Act provides for a fine not exceeding Rs 1 million and penal servitude for a term not exceeding 10 years for a person found guilty of breach of the Act. He also remarked that it is not proposed to impose heavier sanctions for the time being since the penalty for breach of the provisions of the ICTA Act is already hefty.