Mongolian anti-corruption agency arrests 2 ex-PMs amid mine probe

ULAN BATOR, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian law enforcement officials on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of two former prime ministers as part of an investigation into abuse of power involving a large mining deal.

They have been investigated by the Independent Agency Against Corruption (IAAC), the country's top anti-corruption body, in the large mining deal signed between the government and Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto.

The agency detained Bayar Sanjaa, prime minister when Mongolian government signed the original 2009 investment agreement, as well as Saikhanbileg Chimed, prime minister when the financing arrangement of the deal was revised in 2015.

The prosecutor's office in the capital, Ulan Bator, said the two have been arrested Tuesday evening for charges of abuse of official power for preferential treatment in the investment agreement to develop the Oyu Tolgoi mine.

Earlier, the IAAC has arrested other former officials including a former finance minister and a former head of tax authority.

Currently, financing arrangements of the mining deal are under investigation by the IAAC and a parliamentary working group. Enditem.