Jakarta – Lawyers for ex-Indonesian president Suharto on Thursday filed legal papers with the attorney general's office to demand that an inquiry into the former leader be stopped as hundreds of pro-Suharto protestors demonstrated outside.
Lawyers Muhammad Assegaf and Denny Kailimang delivered a "Letter of Legal Opinion," demanding that the attorney general halt the investigation into alleged massive corruption and abuse of power by their client.
"It turns out after three months of investigation the attorney general's office has found no evidence and taken no legal measures on the Suharto investigation," Assegaf said as he handed the letter over.
Assegaf said the purpose of the letter was to determine the legal status of the 77-year-old fallen leader, reputed by the US-published Forbes magazines in July 1998 to be worth four billion dollars.
"We are certain there is no strong reason for the attorney general to pursue this case as one of criminal corruption, because none of the facts allude to the crime of corruption," he said.
Some 400 youths who described themselves as Suharto loyalists protested in the streets outside, demanding that the attorney general produce results or clear Suharto.
"We ask the attorney general to stop and immediately announce the results of the investigation on Suharto and restore his good name if there is no evidence of criminal violation of the law," a joint press release from three protesting groups said.
One youth told an AFP photographer he had been paid 15,000 rupiah (about 1.60 dollars) to stage the protest.
On Tuesday a parliamentary commission pressured Attorney General Andi Ghalib for three hours to speed up the probe by making Suharto a suspect in the alleged corruption case instead of only as a witness.
Suharto, who has scoffed at reports that he amassed a fortune during his 32 years in power, stepped down on May 21, 1998 amid mounting public pressure.
March 11 marks the anniversary of the day in 1967 when as a virtually unknown major general, he took power from Indonesia's first president Sukarno on the heels of a botched coup blamed on communists.