Candidate on trial for diploma forgery

Candidate on trial for diploma forgery

MALUKU, Ambon: West Seram Regent politician Soebeno went on trial
on Monday here for allegedly forging a senior high school diploma
earlier this year to allow him to stand in the election for the
office of regent.

Soebeno, with his running mate Nathaniel Elake, is one of the
two candidates running for the top job in the West Seram regental
election to be held later this year.

However, his candidacy has now been put on hold due to the
forged diploma issue. The diploma states that Soebeno graduated
from a vocational high school in Purwokerto, Central Java, in
1970, while in reality the school was only set up in 1971. The
defendant has been charged with diploma forgery, and faces a
maximum sentence of six years in jail if convicted. -- JP