Jakarta – The youngest son of former Indonesian president Suharto was formally charged yesterday with ordering the murder of a judge, a crime punishable by death.

State prosecutors filed the charges against Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra in the Central Jakarta District Court. The case against Tommy, who is being held in a Jakarta prison, was expected to open within the next seven to 10 days, said a court clerk.

The former millionaire playboy was accused of involvement in the killing of a Supreme Court judge who sentenced him in September 2000 to 18 months in jail over a multi-million-dollar real estate scam, prosecutor Andi Rachman Asbar said. He was also charged with illegal possession of weapons and fleeing from justice.

Tommy went into hiding soon after the court decision. He was recaptured last November after a year-long manhunt. During his disappearance, four men on motorcycles shot and killed Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, the presiding judge in Tommy's graft trial.