Vaudine England – The Indonesian Government, eager to prove its reformist credentials, said yesterday it had reopened the investigation into alleged corruption by Suharto, but prospects of retrieving his money or seeing the ailing former president in the dock remain unclear. The previous government of Bacharuddin Habibie had closed the case in October, due to what was termed a lack of evidence, in line with predictions that Mr Habibie was too close to his former mentor to put him on trial.
The current Government of President Abdurrahman Wahid has no such qualms. Mr Wahid has often said he believes Mr Suharto should be prosecuted, but that if the 78-year-old showed due remorse by returning some of the money, he would be pardoned "because he was our president".
The same immunity would not apply to Mr Suharto's offspring and cronies, most of whom are regarded locally as rapacious good-for-nothings.
Public pressure to prosecute Mr Suharto for what Time magazine estimates is a US$15 billion fortune has been intense since before his fall from power in May last year. But legal experts note that it will be hard to show anything technically illegal occurred when it was Mr Suharto who personally made most of the laws.
Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman said on Monday that new evidence had been discovered to warrant a new investigation. Mr Marzuki gave no details but said evidence pointed to "a misuse of power and authority" in issuing government regulations and presidential decrees to amass funds for foundations linked to Mr Suharto, his family and associates.
He said a review of the previous investigation had uncovered new evidence "which directly or indirectly could harm the state's finances or economy".
The Indonesian Transparency Society has claimed that at least 79 of 528 presidential decrees issued between 1993 and last year were manipulated to benefit certain parties.
[On December 8 the Indonesian Observer quoted Attorney General, Marzuki Darusman, as saying that Suharto is now well enough to be questioned. Marzuki told reporters after a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta on December 7 that "He can now be questioned. He is not sick anymore,", although he did not say when he will be summoned - James Balowski.]