Section 19: Secure digital signatures

19. Secure digital signatures Where any portion of an electronic record is signed with a digital signature, the digital signature shall be treated as a secure electronic signature with respect to such portion of the record, where— (a) the digital signature was created during the operational period of a valid certificate and is verified by reference to the public key listed in such certificate; and (b) the certificate is considered trustworthy, in that it is an accurate binding of a public key to a person’s identity on grounds that— (i) the certificate was issued by a licensed certification authority; (ii) the certificate was issued by a certification authority outside Mauritius recognised for this purpose by the Controller; (iii) the certificate was issued by a public sector agency approved by the Minister to act as a certification authority on such conditions as he may impose; or (iv) the originator and the addressee have expressly agreed to use a digital signature as a security procedure, and the digital signature was properly verified by reference to the public key of the originator. (S. 19 came into operation on 1 December 2010.)