Indonesia mining graft scandal casts pall over House Speaker

Jakarta

INDONESIAN Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has called on Parliament's Speaker to step down over a recording suggesting he sought shares in Freeport-McMoRan's Indonesian unit in return for helping the mining giant extend its government contract to operate.

A parliamentary ethics committee is probing Setya Novanto, who has been under pressure since the recording surfaced last month of him speaking during a meeting with PT Freeport Indonesia chief executive officer Maroef Sjamsoeddin, a former deputy intelligence chief. Mr Sjamsoeddin said that he recorded the conversation for his "protection".