UPDATE 1-Niger opposition leader faces graft charge at home
* Opposition leader returns home to face graft charges
* Tandja rival says has nothing to hide
* Party says charges aimed at muzzling Tandja's rivals
(Writes through with Issoufou's return to Niger)
By Abdoulaye Massalatchi
NIAMEY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Mahamadou Issoufou, a leading opposition figure in Niger, returned home on Friday from a trip abroad and said he was ready to face charges of money laundering, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Issoufou is one of dozens of former parliamentarians caught up in a graft investigation that critics say is a bid to muzzle opponents of President Mamadou Tandja's moves to tighten his grip on the West African nation, a major uranium producer.
"The fact that I have returned means something very simple. I have nothing to run away from," Issoufou told reporters on his return to Niger from Abuja, Nigeria, where he was in talks with West African bloc ECOWAS, which is seeking to end the crisis. Continued...
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