ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia has detained the former head of a large military-run industrial conglomerate, a day after the country's attorney general disclosed that several hundred million dollars was embezzled from the firm.
The state broadcaster ETV reported that Maj. Gen. Kinfe Dagnew, former head of the Metal and Engineering Corporation, was arrested near the Sudanese border where he was trying to flee.
The arrest is viewed as a direct hit on Ethiopia's military establishment, the latest of several major changes implemented by reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 42, since he came to power in April.
Images of the former official in handcuffs arriving by helicopter in the capital, Addis Ababa, have been aired repeatedly by the state broadcaster. Kinfe's was one of Ethiopia's most feared figures until a few months ago.
