ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – An Ethiopian ex-minister was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of “mismanagement of public funds” while he was head of a regional public investment fund, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting said. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been pursuing a nationwide crackdown on graft in the public sector since taking office last year. Bereket Simon, who served as minister of communication in the 1995-2012 government of Meles Zenawi and was widely considered his right-hand man, co-founded the fund, TIRET Corporation, in 1995 and led it until 2017. Also arrested on the same allegations on Wednesday was Tadesse Kassa, a former board member of TIRET. Earlier this month, Ethiopia charged the former head of the military-run industrial conglomerate METEC and other officials with corruption.

Source: Ethiopian News January 23, 2019 22:44 UTC