The family of the former interior minister in the Ivory Coast, Emile Constant Bombet, says he has been arrested and taken to army headquarters in Abidjan.

The authorities have not commented on the detention last night of Mr Bombet, who was previously held by the authorities for almost a month after the December coup.

However sources close to the new military government say Mr Bombet is being held for questioning in connection with a recent embezzlement scandal.

An audit found that thirty-million dollars worth of European Union aid money had been syphoned off into private pockets, and blamed the health and interior ministries. A recent report by the International Montary Fund called for the prosecution of all involved.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service