S Leone's health minister sacked

Ernest Bai Koroma was elected on an anti-corruption ticket

Sierra Leone's president has sacked two of his ministers, one of whom has been indicted for corruption.

Health Minister Sheku Tijan Koroma appeared in court on Wednesday charged with illegally awarding contracts.

He is the first minister to be charged with corruption since President Ernest Bai Koroma came to power two years ago.

No reason was given for the dismissal of the other official, Leonard Balogun Koroma, who is minister in the vice-president's office.

Mr Koroma promised to crack down on corruption when he won elections in 2007

Correspondents say corruption is seen as one of the reasons for the outbreak of civil war in the country in the 1990s.