Robert Go, jakarta – The arrest of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra on Wednesday capped a year-long manhunt by the police, but now the government faces its real test – putting former president Suharto's youngest son behind bars.

Prosecutors have four separate chances to do this after Coordinating Politics and Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's announcement yesterday that Tommy faced charges of murder, weapons-possession, bombing and fleeing from the law.

Indeed, senior government officials were quick to hail the arrest as proof of how far Indonesia's efforts to combat corruption and reform its legal system have progressed.

But analysts said yesterday that far from going to jail, they doubted if Tommy would even face trial. National legislator Alvin Lie, also a ranking member of the National Mandate Party, said: "I'm afraid the arrest is his window for re-entry into the society as a legitimate free person."

Prominent Jakarta lawyer Frans Winarta, a long-time advocate of investigations into the Suharto family, said: "What we want to see is how much further Tommy can be prosecuted for other crimes. Without that, there is little hope for Indonesia's justice system." He added that based on Indonesia's track record, there were few reasons to believe that the authorities would actually move to prosecute Tommy.

Mr Suharto himself faced corruption charges but was declared too sick to stand trial by a team of doctors and judges. Tommy's original graft conviction and 18-month jail sentence were also overturned by the Supreme Court two months ago.

Mr Ibrahim Assegaf, editor of legal portal Hukumonline.com, criticised police for behaving unprofessionally, pointing out that top police officials were friendly towards Tommy moments after his house in South Jakarta was raided. Indonesian television on Wednesday night showed Jakarta police chief Inspector-General Sofyan Yakob embracing the prisoner, both of them smiling and laughing. "They are treating Tommy as if he is not a fugitive from the law," said Mr Ibrahim.

Analysts were also quick to dispel senior officials' claims that Tommy's capture should be viewed as a sign that Indonesia's judicial reform process was progressing well.

Mr Soedjati Djiwandono, an analyst at the Research Institute for Democracy and Peace, said: "We should not expect too much out of this. Supremacy of law is still a long way off for Indonesia." He added that a cornerstone of the government's judicial reform programme had to include prosecuting members of the Suharto family and other well-known members of the Indonesian elite for alleged corruption during Suharto's 30-year rule.

So far, only a grand-daughter-in-law of Suharto has been jailed for a drugs conviction. The rest of the family still lives in the exclusive Cendana complex in the heart of Jakarta.