ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian authorities have arrested the former head of the military-run industrial conglomerate METEC, state media reported on Tuesday, after the attorney general said investigations had uncovered corruption at the firm.
Kinfe Dagnew - who is a Major General in Ethiopia's army - was detained near the northwest town of Humera, close to the border with Sudan and Eritrea on Monday night, state-run broadcaster EBC said.
Earlier on Monday, attorney general Berhanu Tsegaye said several officials at METEC had been arrested after he said investigations found the company had conducted international procurements totalling $2 billion without any bidding processes.
He said others had been arrested after other investigations into security service abuses and a grenade attack on a rally attended by the prime minister at a rally in June.
For decades, METEC has been a key player in an economy dominated by the state and the military. The top officials in the company, which manufactures military equipment and is also involved in many other sectors from agriculture to construction, are military officials. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho Writing by Maggie Fick Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
