Mongolian PM's senior advisor arrested by anti-corruption agency

A senior advisor to the Mongolian prime minister and three other officials were arrested on Wednesday night by the country's anti-corruption agency, Mongolian media reported Thursday.

According to the report, Gansukh Luumed, the former minister of natural environment and tourism and senior advisor of Prime Minster Norov Altankhuyag, was arrested for embezzlement by the Independent Agency Against Corruption.

The prime minister criticized the arrest as "sabotage of government actions."

Gansukh is coordinator of the government's subsidy program "Coal," which enables residents of slum areas in Ulaanbaatar to purchase coal at a much lower price in winter.

"I will fight strongly with this kind of intentional actions that violates law and breaching rights of innocent people," Altankhuyag said in a statement issued Thursday.

"Arresting people who were responsible for coordinating and implementing (the) 'coal' program, which benefitted thousands of low- and middle-income households, is sabotage of government actions," he said.

Altankhuyag added that the Mongolian government will continue to undertake actions that benefit the public. Endi