In a statement on Monday, his attorneys said $1.9 million of the money was spent after Ilunga resigned from office and he cannot be held responsible for its management.
“He reaffirms firmly his innocence in this case and promises to vigorously defend his honor,” his attorney’s said in the statement.
Bayeka denied claims that Ilunga was fleeing the country when he was taken into police custody on Saturday and called for his immediate release from detention.
CNN has reached out to the police in Congo for comment and is yet to get a response.
With more than 3,000 cases and 2,000 deaths recorded since the outbreak was declared last summer in Congo, the Ebola outbreak has reached another troubling milestone, according to the World Health Organization.
Though the vast majority of infections remain in the nation’s North Kivu province, the virus has spread to neighboring South Kivu province and the transit hub of Goma, on the border of Rwanda.
The region’s political instability, sporadic violence, limited infrastructure and mistrust in vaccines are obstacles to address in ending the outbreak.
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