Mauritius president steps down amid finance scandal

The president of the Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius, Africa’s only female head of state, has resigned amid a financial scandal.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim submitted her resignation in the “national interest,” her lawyer Yousouf Mohamed told reporters Saturday, according to local news reports. Her resignation is effective on March 23.

Gurib-Fakim has been accused of making personal purchases with a credit card provided by an NGO, whose Angolan founder has sought to do business in Mauritius and is under investigation in Portugal in connection with fraud allegations.

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.

Manu Fernandez The Associated Press People march and chant slogans during a protest Saturday by pensioners in Barcelona, Spain.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim