Port Luis: Mauritius first female President Ameenah Gurib Fakhim has decided to step down next week from her presidential seat after facing impeachment proceedings over a row of financial scandal.
The Mauritian President was caught in the scandal for shopping in Italy and Dubai using the credit card issued by an international non-governmental organization. She was alleged to have brought luxurious clothes and jewellery from the credit cards issued by Planet Earth Institute.
Gurib-Fakim, who is also a chemistry professor, was appointed as first woman President to Mauritius in 2015.
The President, however, denied any wrongdoings and said she had refunded all the money in question.
“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 in a speech on 7 March.
Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, told the media that Gurib-Fakim would resign after March 12, after the celebration of the country’s 50th anniversary.
“The president of the republic told me that she would resign from office and we agreed on the date of her departure. The interest of the country comes first, and I am proud of Mauritius’s image as a model of living democracy in the world,” PM was quoted saying, Reuters reported.
“How does it benefit the country for her to be on the Forbes list? This is an important factor which encouraged the government to get rid of her. They felt she wasn’t a heavyweight in politics and had no problem sacking her,” Rabin Bhujun, a Mauritian media personnel, was quoted saying.