Mongolia arrests ex-head of state mining company after corruption protests

ISTANBUL

Rocked by protests over allegations of corruption in its coal trade with China, Mongolia on Thursday announced the arrest of the former head of its state-owned mining company.

Battulga Ganhuyag, ex-CEO of Erdenes Tavantolgoi JSC, was among eight people arrested in raids on Wednesday night, said Interior Minister Khishgee Nyambaatar.

Their offices and homes are also being searched as part of ongoing investigations, he told reporters at a news briefing, according to a report by state news agency Montsame.

Several hundred people braved freezing temperatures in the capital Ulaanbaatar to protest against corruption in the coal industry and the country’s ailing economy, with some trying to storm government buildings on Sunday.

Nyambaatar said a working group formed to support investigations into accusations of corruption in the coal industry held its first meeting on Wednesday evening.

He said the working group includes specialists and will “urgently collect necessary information from government agencies.”

It will also be “responsible for obtaining information on border customs from foreign countries,” he said.

Nyambaatar added that authorities have reopened probes into “four previous cases of unregistered coal transportation.”