T

he confession by a young woman that she was paid Rp 10 million (US$1,050) to have sex with a flamboyant defendant in a corruption scandal that has rocked a political party, which itself claimed to be corruption-free and based on religious ethics, was a startling relevation for millions of television viewers during a broadcast trial hearing on Friday.

The 20-year-old woman initially tried to avoid the prosecutor's question as to why Ahmad Fathanah had given her the money when they met in a hotel in Jakarta in January. They were found together, both of them naked, by investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the money was confiscated from the girl.

'Yes,' Maharani Suciyono, a university student, responded when prosecutor Mohammad Roem insisted she answer whether Fathanah had paid the money 'to have sex' with her.

Fathanah took the money from the total Rp 1 billion he had taken to the hotel give to his long-time friend, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, the then chairman of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Luthfi was forced to resign his position after the KPK declared him a suspect in a beef importation scandal.

Luthfi allegedly accepted a huge sum of money from meat importer PT Indoguna Utama for persuading Agriculture Minister Suwono, also a senior PKS politician, to issue a permit to the private company to import more beef. More shocking facts will likely come out as Luthfi's trial proceeds, and more party leaders may well be linked with this corruption case, which has been a huge blow to the party.

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Meanwhile, the announcement on Thursday of the impending retirement of soccer legend David Beckham attracted global attention, including from Indonesia. For years, the former captain of the England team has been a role model for hundreds of million of young people across the globe for his sporting achivements and for his family-man image.

Beckham, whose personal fortune is estimated at around US$253 million, will complete the season with current French champions, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

As reported by Reuters, Beckham made his name at Manchester United under manager Alex Ferguson, who also announced his retirement from soccer last week. His flamboyant career took him to top European clubs Real Madrid and AC Milan. Then he joined the LA Galaxy in the US for nearly five years.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi from Qatar said he hoped Beckham would continue to work with the club in a different capacity after his retirement; perhaps in an ambassadorial role.

'I met him yesterday and he's very interested to continue being involved with the big project of Paris Saint-Germain,' Al-Khelaifi told reporters on Friday.

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Attorney General Basrief Arief revealed on Friday that three convicted murderers had been executed at midnight on Thursday night at the notorious Nusa Kambangan Island in Central Java.

Suryadi, one of the convicts, who hailed from Palembang had been found guilty of killing a family in 1991, while Jurit and Ibrahim had both been convicted of murder in Musi Banyuasin regency, in South Sumatra, in 1997.

Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri rejected their petition for clemency in 2003.

According to the latest data from the Law and Human Rights Ministry, 133 convicts are currently on death row, including 71 drug convicts, 60 murderers and two terrorists.

Capital punishment is a controversial issue. Many Western countries have abolished the death penalty, but in Indonesia, it is still widely supported, especially for drug trafficking.

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Indonesia posted a worsening US$6.6 billion deficit in its balance of payments in this year's first quarter amid growing concerns over President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's indecisiveness in raising fuel prices. Subsidies for the energy sector are continuing to increase at the cost of development funding.

Indonesia has been running a current account deficit for the last six quarters, and, although foreign direct investment has grown steadily, imports and capital and working goods are also rising amid the high imports of oil.

'Inflationary pressure has caused a capital reversal. Foreign fund inflows to the country in the first quarter were not as robust as expected,' Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Perry Warjiyo said on Wednesday.

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As the dry season draws ever closer, the Jakarta administration has told residents about the danger of a dengue fever outbreak during the transition from the rainy to dry season.

'Residents must be aware of the symptoms of dengue fever. If they suffer any of these symptoms, such as a high fever for a long period followed by a sudden drop in body temperature, they should go to a hospital immediately,' Jakarta Health Agency head Dien Emawati said on Wednesday.

The agency recorded 1,300 cases of dengue in East Jakarta, from which six patients died. With 678 cases, South Jakarta has the second-highest rate, but no fatalities were reported.

'Many people living in more affluent areas were infected because they were ignorant about prevention,' said another Jakarta official.

The city's worst dengue outbreak occurred in 2007 with 4,406 cases being reported during a four-month period, which resulted in 41 deaths. The success of preventive programs by the government, including the involvement of a massive team of fumigation volunteers, locally called jumantik, has helped to significantly reduce the number of cases in the last two years.

' Kornelius Purba