Labor leader charged with graft

Labor leader charged with graft

JAKARTA: Chairman of the Prosperous Indonesian Labor Union
(SBSI) Muchtar Pakpahan began his trial at the South Jakarta
District Court on Monday, a few months before his Social
Democratic Labor Party (PBSD) contests the general election.

Prosecutors charged Muchtar with misusing Rp 1.2 billion
(US$142,800) disbursed by the state-owned worker's insurance
company PT Jamsostek to build a training center.

Prosecutor Ferbin Jhoni said Muchtar had received Rp 1.9
billion from Jamsostek for the training center's construction
project, but some of the money allegedly ended up going to his
own political party and SBSI's coffers.

Ferbin charged Muchtar with violating article 2 paragraph 1 of
the Law No. 31/1999 on anticorruption, which carries a maximum
sentence of 20 years in jail.

The trial was adjourned until next Monday to hear the defense
argument from Muchtar and his lawyers. -- JP