Official’s Graft Trial a Test for President
Indonesia’s parliament speaker went on trial in a graft case seen as a test of President Megawati Sukarnoputri’s pledge to root out corruption.
The accused, Akbar Tanjung, heads the former ruling Golkar party, which is in coalition with Megawati’s party.
Charged with abuse of power and graft and facing a maximum of 20 years in jail, Tanjung has denied any wrongdoing.
Megawati’s Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle is parliament’s largest party, with about a third of the seats. Golkar is the second biggest, and together the two hold a majority.
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