Trial of Indonesian speaker opens

Mr Tandjung could face 20 years in jail if convicted

Indonesia's parliamentary speaker Akbar Tandjung has appeared in court on corruption charges in the latest in a series of high profile trials.

He is accused of helping divert around $4m of state funds to his own party for its campaign in the last general election in 1999.

Indonesia on trial

The governor of the central bank has been found guilty of corruption

Tommy Suharto, son of the former president, is on trial for murder

Several police and government officials are on trial for crimes against humanity in East Timor three years ago

Mr Tandjung - who is chairman of the former ruling Golkar party - denies the charges.

If convicted, he could face a 20-year jail term and his party could be disqualified from contesting the next election, although many analysts believe this is unlikely.

State prosecutor Fachmi told the court: "The defendant Akbar Tandjung... collectively with the other defendants... has committed an act to make profit for himself, others or an institution and misused his authority".

Our correspondent in Jakarta, Richard Galpin, says Mr Tandjung is an experienced and wily politician who could implicate many others if he believes he really is going to face a long prison sentence.

Charges read

There was tight security at the Jakarta central court as Mr Tandjung arrived on Monday.

Tandjung is not a favourite of Indonesia's reformists

In court, Mr Tandjung and two other defendants listened as the prosecution read out the charges against them.

Mr Tandjung is accused of directly receiving millions of dollars from the state food agency Bulog, which it is alleged was diverted to the Golkar party during the last election.

He has said he handed all the money to a charity to distribute food to the poor, but initially he was unable to remember the charity's name.

State prosecutors have revealed no food was ever handed out.

Next, the Golkar party shifted the blame onto a businessman who had been contracted to carry out the distribution.

Having initially said he had used the funds properly, the businessman later said he had only used about a quarter of the money.

And yet earlier this month all $4m were suddenly handed back to state prosecutors.

The businessman said he had kept the cash at his home for the past three years.

Golkar - which ruled for decades under former President Suharto and which remains the second largest party in parliament - could be disqualified from the next election or disbanded altogether if Mr Tandjung is found guilty.

But most analysts doubt this will happen and expect a deal to be worked out to save the more modern and reformist wing of the party.