Former Congolese Health Minister Imprisoned for Mismanagement of $ 4.3 Million Ebola Fund



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Ilunga leaves his post as Minister of Health in July after being relieved of his responsibilities at the helm of the Congo Ebola team. He denied any wrongdoing, said his lawyer, Guy Bayeka.
Oly Ilunga

In a statement released Monday, his lawyers said that $ 1.9 million had been spent after Ilunga's resignation and that he could not be held responsible for his management.

"He firmly reaffirms his innocence in this case and promises to defend his honor with vigor," said his lawyer in a statement.

Bayeka denied allegations that Ilunga fled the country after being held in custody on Saturday and called for his immediate release.

CNN sought the advice of the Congolese police and has not yet received a response.

Ilunga resigned in protest after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi removed him to the head of the country's Ebola fight team and assigned the unit leadership to a committee that will report directly to the president's office.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing the second most deadly Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

With more than 3,000 cases and 2,000 deaths recorded since the outbreak of this epidemic last summer in Congo, the Ebola outbreak has reached a new and troubling stage, according to the World Organization. of health.

How to end the Ebola crisis

Although the vast majority of infections remain in the province of North Kivu, the virus has spread to the neighboring province of South Kivu and to the Goma transit center on the Rwandan border.

In July, WHO declared the epidemic to be a "public health emergency of international importance", as health workers continue to fight the spread of the disease.

The political instability of the region, sporadic violence, limited infrastructure and mistrust of vaccines are obstacles to overcome to end the epidemic.

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