Graft suspect gets o'seas travel permit

JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office has issued a permit allowing tycoon Syamsul Nursalim, a suspect in a graft case, to seek medication for his heart disease in Japan.

"Hopefully, Syamsul Nursalim will not escape," the office's spokesman Muljohardjo said on Wednesday.

Syamsul, owner of the Gajah Tunggal group, is accused of misappropriating central bank liquidation support, causing the state to suffer Rp 10 trillion in losses.

The suspect, who was previously banned from traveling, received a permit to have medical treatment abroad for three months. The permit was issued based on a request made by the hospital in Tokyo where Syamsul had been treated, and also by his lawyer, Adnan Buyung Nasution, according to Muljohardjo.