Committee head named graft suspect

JAMBI: The head of the budget committee at the Kerinci Regency Council has officially been named a suspect in a graft case, a senior prosecutor said on Saturday.

The chief of the Kerinci Prosecutor's Office, Ilman A. Rachman, said councillor Zainal Arifin would be charged with embezzling some Rp 1.3 billion (US$144,444) from the regency budget between 1999 and 2004.

Ilman said the councillor was named a suspect after prosecutors questioned eight witnesses in the case. -- JP