Indonesia's parliament reappoints scandal-hit speaker

[WorldNews]

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Indonesia's parliament on Wednesday reappointed Setya Novanto as its speaker, reinstating him despite a scandal last year when he was accused of trying to extort $1.8 billion of shares from the local unit of U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoran Inc. Novanto resigned as speaker in December after an inquiry was launched when the head of Freeport Indonesia Maroef Sjamsoeddin told parliament's ethics panel he secretly recorded a meeting with Novanto and alleged the speaker asked for a stake of 20 percent in the company. Novanto's political career has continued to flourish despite the scandal, and in May he was named chairman of Indonesia's second-biggest political party, Golkar. "As a member of a political party, I will take good care of this mandate and this shall be a proof of my dedication to the nation." Indonesia's ranking in Transparency International's corruption perception index improved last year to 88 out of 168 nations, but the watchdog has previously cited parliament as among the most corrupt institutions in the country.

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