Ethiopian State Minister in Custody After Parliament Strips ImmunityAugust 5, 2017 - In an extraordinary step, the Ethiopian parliament on Friday voted to strip State Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation Alemayehu Gujo of immunity, according to the Reporter. Following that, federal police took him into custody as a suspect in a grand corruption case. The state minister was given a chance to speak by House Speaker Abadula Gemeda after Attorney General Getachew Ambaye read out corruption charges against him. In a related development, a similar fate has befallen the former director general of the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA), Zaid Woldegabriel, who is currently serving as Ethiopia’s representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). State Minister Alemayehu is the highest-ranking official to have been detained so far during the current corruption crackdown.

Source: Ethiopian News August 05, 2017 10:30 UTC