Scandal-tainted Mauritius president Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigns

Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who is facing fire over an alleged financial scandal, has resigned, reports AFP.

Gurib-Fakim, Africa's only female head of state, submitted her resignation in the "national interest," her lawyer Yousouf Mohamed told reporters, adding that it would take effect on March 23

Gurib-Fakim, has been accused of using a bank card provided by an NGO to make personal purchases and will step down after ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of independence on March 12.

The president was left fighting for her political career after local media published a report that she had paid for personal expenses on a credit card given to her by London-based charity Planet Earth Institute (PEI) in 2016.

The report alleged that Gurib-Fakim had spent thousands of dollars on the card on clothing and luxury items.

She had denied any wrongdoing and said she had refunded all the money.

"I do not owe anything to anybody. Why is this issue coming up now almost a year later on the eve of our independence day celebrations," she said on March 7, Reuters news agency reported.

Gurib-Fakim (58) took the honorary position of president in 2015, she became the first woman to do so in Mauritian history.

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