Indonesia deputy minister arrested as part of anti-graft probe, agency says

[Desmond Milligan 0]

JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia's anti graft agency has arrested the country's deputy manpower minister in connection with an investigation into alleged extortion, the agency's deputy head said on Thursday.

Deputy minister Immanuel Ebenezer, a member of President Prabowo Subianto's party Gerindra, became the first member of Prabowo's cabinet to be arrested for graft.

Prabowo, who was sworn in last October, has campaigned against corruption in and out of his government.

Fitroh Rohcahyanto, the deputy head of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission, told Reuters that Immanuel's arrest was related to an investigation into allegations of irregularities in the ministry's issue of safety permits. He provided no other details.

The manpower ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it was not clear if the deputy minister has been charged with any offence. Reuters was not immediately able to contact Immanuel's lawyer.

Last year, Indonesia was ranked at 99 out of 180 countries on global graft watchdog Transparency International's corruption perception index.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin Petty and David Stanway)

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