BELARUS PM SACKED

MINSK : Belarus's strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday sacked his prime minister and other key members of government following a corruption scandal that saw top officials arrested.

Prime Minister Andrei Kobyako will be replaced by former development bank head Sergei Rumas, the president's press office said in a statement.

Several vice-premiers as well as the ministers for economy and industry will also lose their posts.

''I won't name names, but in our government we had the following situation - one programme would be announced and then another programme would be carried out,'' Lukashenko said in comments released by his press office.

''I've never allowed this and I never will! What we have promised the people - with a government formed precisely with this programme in mind, we must follow this programme,'' he added.

Over the summer a corruption scandal rocked the health service of the ex-Soviet nation.

Authorities arrested dozens of top health officials, medics and drug company representatives on  suspicion of siphoning off millions of dollars in state funding. [AFP]