Tanzanian Ministers Implicated in Diamond-Mining Probe Quit
- Deputy minister implicated after investigation steps down
- State says it lost revenue, entered unfavorable contracts
John Magufuli
Photographer: Daniel Hayduk/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Two Tanzanian ministers resigned after President John Magufuli told government officials suspected of wrongdoing in an investigation into the nation’s diamond- and Tanzanite-mining industries to step down.
Edwin Ngonyani, a deputy minister of works, transport and communication, said he resigned Thursday evening, declining to comment on the allegations. George Simbachawene, a minister in the office of the president in charge of regional administration and local government, who was also named in the probe, announced his resignation in a YouTube video posted by Azam TV, a Dar es Salaam-based broadcaster.