Annonce du PM : les billets de Rs 2 000 retirés du circuit ; de nouvelles coupures émises

Les billets de Rs 2000 seront retirés du circuit à partir de ce mercredi 5 décembre et ne seront plus valables à partir du 1er février 2019. De nouvelles coupures de Rs 2000 (upgraded bank notes) seront émises pour les remplacer.

C'est ce qu'a annoncé le Premier ministre, Pravind Jugnauth, à l'Assemblée nationale ce mardi après-midi 4 décembre.

C'est pour des raisons de sécurité et pour éviter que des billets contrefaits circulent sur le marché que cette décision a été prise. 

La taille des nouvelles coupures de Rs 2000, qui seront mises en circulation à partir de ce mercredi 5 décembre, ne changera pas, a précisé le Premier ministre. Elles conserveront l'effigie de sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.

Ci-dessous le «statement» de Pravind Jugnauth : 

I wish to make a statement on a matter of national importance as it pertains to our national currency, specifically to the 2000 Rupee banknote.

Madam Speaker, our national currency is a legal tender issued by the central bank. 

In fact, the 2000 Rupee paper banknote was introduced by the Bank of Mauritius in 1998 when the need for a higher denomination legal tender was felt for convenience and practical reasons. 

The 2000 rupee paper bank note has overtime been counterfeited by malefactors, thus undermining confidence in its use.

I therefore wish to inform the House that the Bank of Mauritius will,as from tomorrow the 5th of December 2018, start the issue of an upgraded 2000 Rupee banknote on polymer substrate with improved security features. At the same time, it will begin withdrawing the current 2000 rupee paper bank notes. The current 2000 rupee paper bank note willcease to be legal tender as from 01 February 2019. 

The upgraded 2000 rupee bank note essentially retains the same features, images and background, size and overall colour scheme. It also contains a special feature to assist the visually impaired persons.

The Bank of Mauritius will ensure a smooth transition to the new banknotes including the exchange of the existing ones at any bank counter.

I wish to inform the Housethat the decision taken to go forward with an upgraded 2000 Rupee banknote was not taken haphazardly. I have given my concurrence to the Bank of Mauritius to proceed with the upgrade only when I was satisfied with the enhanced security features that were being embedded in the new banknote. Moreover, the costs of printing polymer notes have significantly gone down.

Madam Speaker, I wish to reassure the House that a rigorous verification process will be put in place for the 2000 Rupee paper banknote exchange to ensure that counterfeiters or fraudsters do not abuse the system. The details of the verification process will be communicated by the Bank of Mauritius.

As regards awareness, I have been informed by the Bank of Mauritius that informative leaflets will be made available to the public in banks, post offices, Citizens Advice Bureaus and other public areas. Dedicated awareness sessions with stakeholders including retail and shopping entities, banks andconsumer organisations will be facilitated by the Bank of Mauritius in the coming days.

Madam Speaker, let me end by underlining our commitment to uphold the integrity of our currency and to ensure that the value of the hard-earned money of our citizensis always preserved.

Thank You.