Speaker of Indonesia's parliament Setya Novanto leaves an ethics panel hearing in Jakarta, Indonesia December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Garry Lotulung
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A senior Indonesian minister on Monday sought to distance the administration from parliament speaker Setya Novanto, who is fighting allegations that he tried to extort shares worth $1.8 billion in the local unit of Freeport McMoRan Inc.
Novanto is at the centre of a major political scandal, with a parliamentary ethics council investigating allegations he used the name of President Joko Widodo to pressure Freeport's officials for the shares, in return for a contract extension.
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