Mauritius asks IMF to conduct financial assessment, PM says

PORT LOUIS, March 4 (Reuters) - Mauritius has asked the International Monetary Fund to conduct a financial assessment of its government institutions, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said on Tuesday, after earlier accusing the prior administration of falsifying data.

The institutions include the finance ministry, the central bank and the statistics office, he said.

In December, Ramgoolam launched a government audit following his election a month earlier. He accused the previous government of falsifying the country's gross domestic product (GDP), budget deficit and public debt figures for years.

Members of the previous government have not responded to the allegations.

Ramgoolam told parliament on Tuesday that the IMF would evaluate whether the government was "observing international statistical standards and codes while compiling and disseminating statistics."

"The assessment will cover all statistical sectors, namely the national accounts, price indices, monetary and financial statistics, government finance statistics and the balance of payments," he said.

Ramgoolam plans to reconstitute the Statistics Board and appoint an independent chairperson, he said.

"The board will be given full independence in the exercise of its responsibilities," he said.

Former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who lost to Ramgoolam in the election in November, was released on bail last month after being arrested on charges of money laundering. He denies the charges.