NEW DELHI: Mauritius President
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who is facing fire over an alleged financial scandal, has resigned, her lawyer said on Saturday.
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.
It has been alleged that Gurib-Fakim made personal purchases with a credit card provided by an NGO, whose founder has sought to do business in Mauritius and is under investigation for fraud.
Gurib-Fakim said earlier this week that she "inadvertently" used the credit card from the London-based Planet Earth Institute for "out-of-pocket" expenses of about $27,000, and that she had refunded the money.
A defiant Gurib-Fakim had on Wednesday refused to resign, claiming that she is the victim of a smear campaign, and said she was ready to testify in court to debunk the accusations. This contradicted a statement made by Prime Minister
Pravind Jugnauth, who had said she would quit after
Mauritius celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence from
Britain on March 12.
When
Gurib-
Fakim, 58, took the honorary position of president in 2015 she became the first woman to do so in Mauritian history.
A scientist and biologist of international renown, she had been under pressure since the Mauritian daily L'Express published bank documents showing that
Gurib-
Fakim had used a credit card given to her by the London-based Planet Earth Institute to buy clothing and jewellery worth thousands of dollars.
The NGO is funded by the controversial Angolan billionaire Alvaro Sobrinho who is himself being investigated for alleged corruption in
Portugal.
(With inputs from agencies)
