Indonesia minister charged with extortion

Indonesia's Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer was dismissed and charged with extortion on Friday after anti-graft investigators accused him of benefiting from illegal fees for the processing of safety permits.

Ebenezer, a member of President Prabowo Subianto's political party, was arrested with 10 other people investigated over the case, who include officials with the manpower ministry and two employees of a training provider company, anti-graft agency chief Setyo Budiyanto said at a press conference.

The graft investigation was the first to implicate a cabinet member, led by Prabowo, who was sworn in last October, and had campaigned against corruption. Immanuel, brought into the press conference apologised to the president and the Indonesian people, without saying what he was apologising for.