Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigns over credit card scandal

Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned on Saturday after being accused of involvement in a credit card scandal.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has been accused of using a bank card issued by an NGO to buy luxury personal items.

Gurib-Fakim, Africa's only female head of state, submitted her resignation in the "national interest," her lawyer Yousouf Mohamed told reporters.

The president's lawyer said her resignation would take effect on March 23, a move that will bring down the curtain on a saga that has gripped the Indian Ocean archipelago for weeks.

Gurib-Fakim had vowed to fight the accusations that first appeared in local newspaper L'Express.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced a week ago that Gurib-Fakim had agreed to resign, with a date set for her departure after last Monday's ceremony celebrating the Indian Ocean archipelago's 50 years of independence.