Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed sacked on Friday Energy Minister Khaled Kaddour, who is facing a corruption probe. The premier’s office also announced a series of other sackings. Hachem Hmidi, secretary of state at the ministry, was also sacked along with the director generals of judicial affairs and fuel. “My exit from the government helps me to devote myself to the case and prove that I am innocent of these malicious charges,” he said according to Reuters. The chief executive of the Tunisian National Oil Company was also removed from his post. Announcing a broad overhaul of the energy and mines ministry, the prime ministers office said there would be an investigation into the workings of the department. Kaddour, a former oil executive who was also responsible for mining, was dismissed less than a year after his appointment in September 2017. The 60-year-olds tenure has been marred by suspicions of graft, with Kaddour appearing before a judge in November over allegations of "administrative and financial corruption" within the ministry. Legal proceedings are still underway and the prime ministers office did not give a reason for Kaddours dismissal. A commission of experts will be formed to restructure the energy ministry, which will now be attached to the industry ministry, Chaheds office said in a statement without specifying whether the measure would be permanent. Government spokesman Iyad Dahmani said the sacked were accused of allowing a Tunisian investor to explore the Halk Manzel oilfield - one of the country’s most important sites - without having to go through a licensing round. The deal over the oilfield near the coastal city of Monastir also came with unjustified tax privileges, Dahmani said. The shake-up is the latest move in the prime ministers anti-corruption drive, which has caught up numerous senior officials and businessmen since it was announced in May 2017. Last year, the government confiscated the property and froze bank accounts of about 20 prominent businessmen arrested on suspicion of corruption. In July, parliament approved a law forcing senior officials to disclose assets - part of a fight against what it calls illicit enrichment.