Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has offered to resign amid mounting pressure over his academic credentials, officials say
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's vice president offered to resign during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday, according to officials, adding to the turmoil at the highest levels of the country's leadership.
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo, held over two hours of talks with Prabowo, according to State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi.
It was not immediately clear whether Prabowo accepted the resignation, Hadi told reporters at a news conference at the presidential palace. The president advised Raka to “continue pursuing legal avenues to defend the validity of his academic documents,” Hadi said.
As he left his office later in the day, Raka made a brief statement to reporters without addressing the resignation offer.
“I respect all criticism and feedback from the public regarding the developments that are taking place,” Raka said. “I do not want the current situation to become a prolonged political controversy.”
The resignation offer comes amid growing pressure on Raka over a court dispute involving his academic credentials. It was apparently not related to an ongoing probe into allegations that top police officials, including the president's chief of staff Gen.
