The governor of Burundi's central bank has been arrested on suspicion of alleged corruption, the justice ministry said Tuesday.
Dieudonne Murengerantwari, who was sacked on Sunday, was accused of "undermining the proper functioning of the national economy, passive corruption, money laundering and misappropriation of public assets," according to a ministry statement.
It was signed by Attorney General Leonard Manirakiza, who said "this characterisation of the facts remains provisional".
The Bank of the Republic of Burundi governor is "undergoing questioning", the statement said, claiming that his rights were being respected.
Murengerantwari was appointed to the post for a five-year term in August 2022.
Since coming to power in 2020, Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye has been hailed for slowly ending years of isolation under his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza's chaotic and bloody rule.
But he has failed to improve a wretched record on human rights and the country of 12 million people remains one of the poorest on the planet.
The country's former prime minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni is currently on trial accused of undermining national security and insulting the president.
He was arrested in April and has been denied bail, sources close to the case told AFP last week.