Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has fired his Health Minister, Obediah Moyo was charged with corruption over illegally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract for medical equipment.
Moyo was arrested last month following an investigation by the country’s anti-graft commission.
He was also freed on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 31.
However, a statement released on Tuesday by government spokesman Nick Mangwana stated that Moyo has been removed from office for “conducts inappropriate for a government minister”,
“Moyo is facing charges of corruption and criminal abuse of his office over his role in a deal with a United Arab Emirates-based company to supply personal protective equipment and COVID-19 test kits,“ the statement read.
According to local reports, Zimbabwe’s opposition condemned the deal, which led to the medical supplies being sold at inflated prices, but the government canceled all contracts with the company.
The case received a great deal of attention that led to nurses and doctors demanding more pay and adequate protective gear to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
The country currently has 787 cases of coronavirus with nine related deaths.
