Qatar’s finance minister has been arrested for questioning over allegations of abuse of power and the misuse of public funds, in an unprecedented move by authorities in the gas-rich Gulf state as part of its drive to boost transparency and clamp down on corruption.
The public prosecutor has opened an investigation into allegations of embezzlement by Ali Sharif al-Emadi, according to a statement carried by the state news agency.
Emadi, who assumed the post eight years ago and is one of the Gulf state’s most high-profile officials, has not been charged. The allegations relate to bribery and commissions relating to government contracts, said one person in Doha briefed on the investigation.
The investigation is focused on Emadi’s ministerial conduct, rather than the US-educated former banker’s other positions, the person added. Emadi is also a board member of the Qatar Investment Authority, the state’s influential sovereign wealth fund that manages about $300bn of assets, and chair of Qatar National Bank, the country’s largest lender.
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