Prosecutors Charge Former Head Of Military-Run Firm With Corruption

Ethiopian prosecutors have charged the former head of a military-run industrial firm with corruption, reports the New Business Ethiopia. 

On Thursday, prosecutors charged Maj. Gen. Kinfe Dagnew with four counts of corruption. 

Dagnew, the former head of the Metal Engineering Corp. (METEC), is accused of receiving payments related to the purchase of thousands of tractors. 

The purchases were made without a bidding process or oversight. Many were ill-suited to Ethiopia and had to be sold, costing the government millions of dollars. 

Since November, dozens of METEC executives and members of the security services have been arrested on charges of corruption and human-rights abuses, noted Reuters. 

Dagnew's next court appearance is set for Jan. 25.