District chief may be fired

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Governor Abdul Azis says he will fire the Bunta district chief if the man is found guilty of tampering with the government fund intended for the poor people.

Azis confirmed that an investigation is now underway after allegations that the district chief was helping himself to the Rp 20 million fund sent by the central government.

If the allegations prove positive, the first thing he'd do is fire him, the governor said as reported by the Antara news agency. Other disciplinary actions will follow, he added.

The government has distributed packets of Rp 20 million to more than 20,000 villages intended for the poorest people in the country. There have been allegations that some of this money has been tampered with by local officials, but none have been arrested so far. (pwn)