8 Jul 2015

Former Papua governor indicted for graft

12:41 pm on 8 July 2015

An Indonesian court has indicted a former governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu, for graft.

The accusations centre on the construction of a hydro power plant project on the Mamberamo River, in which the state recorded a loss of US$3.2 million.

The Corruption Eradication Commission's prosecutor, Fitroh Rohcah-yanto, says the former governor doctored budget allocations for the engineering design of the power plant in the 2009-2010 provincial budget.

The Jakarta Post reports him saying that Mr Suebu violated the law by instructing the project committee to award the tender to his own company, without going through a proper process.

The prosecutors say the hydro power project was intended to protect forest areas and reduce emissions in Papua, but was abandoned following discovery of the graft.

If found guilty, Mr Suebu could be jailed for up to 20 years.

He will present his defence on Monday.