Prosecutor investigated

YOGYAKARTA: A local prosecutor was suspended here on Wednesday for allegedly extorting Rp 5 million (US$470) from a defendant.

Suratno, a prosecutor at the Yogyakarta prosecutor's office, was suspended pending investigation into the case, the Yogyakarta prosecutor's office chief Hananto Soemardjo told journalists.

The decision was taken following a local news report that Suratno had been trying to extort money from Yudi Notosoeryanto, a defendant in a financial scam trial, in return for a lighter sentence.

Yudi, who is facing an eight-month jail term for failing to pay his debt, had been promised only a two-month jail sentence if he paid Rp 5 million to Suratno.

Yudi's lawyer, Denny Indrayana, claimed that Suratno had repeatedly contacted him to offer his proposal.(23)