Ex-DRC health minister placed under house arrest

Former DRC Health Minister Oly Ilunga was on Tuesday placed under house arrest, after a day of hearings at the Kinshasa prosecutor’s office.

He is charged with embezzlement of more than $4 million intended to fight the second deadliest Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2018.

The 59-year place was arrested on Saturday by the police and is accused of trying to flee the country. He has been under a ban to leave the national territory since last August. He rejects all the charges.

Dr. Illunga resigned from his position in July in protest of President Felix Tshisekedi’s decision to take over management of the response to the Ebola outbreak.

His lawyers say that he promises “to defend his honour.”