20110722
Reuters
PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Mauritius' anti-corruption watchdog arrested the Indian Ocean island's health minister on Friday after he was accused of inflating a government tender to acquire a private hospital.



The arrest, the first high-profile one of its kind in the last few years, followed a seven-month inquiry by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

"The private hospital which was initially evaluated at 75 million rupees was reevaluated at 144 million rupees," said an ICAC official, who confirmed Santi Bai Hanoomanjee's arrest to Reuters.

Hanoomanjee was released on bail but is still being questioned by the ICAC. Mauritius generally has a better reputation when compared to other African countries on corruption.