Immigration Office Bans Dahlan Iskan from Leaving Indonesia

          Jakarta (Antara) - The Attorney General office has received confirmation from the immigration office that former president director of the state electric utility PLN, had been banned from leaving the country.

         The country was shocked on Friday when the Jakarta high prosecution office announced that Dahlan, who was also former minister for state enterprises, was a suspect in a big graft scandal.

         Dahlan was charged with involvement in corruption in a project to build 21 power relay stations worth Rp1.063 trillion in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara.

         The prosecution office already named  and arrested 15 other suspects in the case including nine PLN's employees.

         They are facing a jail term of up to 20 years each if found guilty. 

    Earlier, head of the Jakarta high prosecution office Adi Toegarisman said his office had asked the immigration office to prevent Dahlan from leaving the country.

         The high prosecution office said it planned investigation of Dahlan as a suspect  on Thursday.

         The prosecution office already questioned Nur Pamuji, Dahlan's successor at PLN after he joined the cabinet of the previous government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono late 2011.

         The project was planned in 2009, when Dahlan was PLN president director  and it was  to be completed in 2013.

         Adi said 15 of the 21 units of transformers were malfunctioned and broken  and only six unit are in good condition.

         Dahlan is a popular leader winning a convention to select a presidential candidate of the former ruling Democrat Party of President Susilo Bambgang Yudhoyono.

         However, as  the party, beset in reputation by a number of corrupt leaders,  lost public support, he openly threw his support for Joko Widodo, who later won the presidency.