Associated Press, Jakarta – Worried that ex-president Suharto might try to escape prosecution for massive corruption, state investigators yesterday barred the former dictator from leaving Indonesia for six months.

Chaerul Imam, a government lawyer who is heading the probe against the 78-year-old, said he had received reports Mr Suharto's wealthy children had been planning to get him out of the country. "Based on these reports, we imposed the ban," he told reporters.

Mr Suharto's defence lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon, denied his client, who claims he is too sick to face interrogation after suffering two strokes, planned to skip the nation that he had ruled for 32 years. "Suharto does not want go abroad. He wants to die in Indonesia," Mr Tampubolon said. Earlier, officials from the Attorney-General's Office said Mr Suharto had been placed under "city arrest" – a legal procedure that would prevent him from leaving the capital. Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman declined to comment on the move, which appears designed to pressure Mr Suharto to co-operate with the probe.

Other members of Mr Suharto's defence team gave conflicting information on Wednesday night. Privately owned SCTV television quoted one Suharto lawyer, Denny Kailimang, as saying he had received a fax from the Attorney-General's Office telling him of the travel ban.

Another Suharto counsel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said three prosecutors tried to deliver a letter to Mr Suharto's home on Wednesday notifying him of the city arrest, but were turned away by aides and relatives.