Jakarta – Indonesian authorities are to investigate whether relatives of former president Suharto are selling lavish London properties, and have called back his son-in-law from abroad for questioning, officials said Wednesday.
The authorities are probing the wealth of Suharto who ruled Indonesia for 32 years before resigning last May and have been accused by the opposition of being too easy on the former strongman.
But Attorney General Andy Ghalib said the government would check on the report about the sale of London properties. "We will check through the foreign ministry whether the report is true or not," Ghalib said.
The British newspaper, The Independent newspaper, reported Tuesday that properties owned by Suharto family members in upmarket areas of London were on sale for a combined total more than 11 million pounds (17.6 million dollars).
Ghalib said his office had previously relied on a foreign ministry statement that there were no wealth in Suharto's name in Britain. "What we are looking for is those [assets] on his name," Ghalib added.
An inquiry is underway to determine how Suharto amassed his fortune, estimated by US magazine Forbes in July 1998 to be worth some four billion dollars, a figure Suharto called ridiculous.
The Independent said the Suharto family is also believed to own another three properties in and around London, but it was not clear if they were also on the market.
Last week a parliamentary commission pressed Ghalib to speed up the wealth probe by making Suharto a suspect instead of only a witness.
The secretary general of the anti-graft Movement Concerned with the State Wealth, Faisal Tajudin told the Suara Pembaruan daily that Ghalib should include the Independent report as new evidence in the graft investigation of Suharto.
Suharto's lawyers have filed legal papers with the attorney general's office demanding the inquiry into alleged corruption and abuse of power be stopped. But pressure remains on Suharto.
Indonesian military chief General Wiranto has summoned Suharto's son-in-law, retired lieutenant general Prabowo Subianto home from abroad for questioning over a meeting at his office in May last year, a report said.
Prabowo, who is in Malaysia according to his younger brother Hasyim Joyohadikusumo, will be questioned over a meeting at the headquarters of the army's Kostrad strategic command, military spokesman Major General Syamsul Maarif said. The meeting was held during the riots last May, when Prabowo headed the Kostrad. Maarif said the summons, sent on March 14, followed a report from an official team investigating the riots that recommended the authorities investigate a meeting at the Kostrad headquarters on May 12.
Prabowo was honorably discharged from the forces in August 1998 following the recommendation of a military council for his suspected involvement in the abductions of activists during the last months of Suharto's rule. He has since remained mostly abroad conducting business for Hasyim.
Three-days of riots in Jakarta left more than 1,000 people dead and massive devastation. The riot was also marked by allegations of the rape of ethnic Chinese women and girls.
Maarif said Prabowo may also be court martialled over the abductions if there were enough evidence to support charges against him.
An Indonesian military tribunal is currently trying 11 soldiers from a military unit headed by Prabowo before he headed Kostrad, over the abductions.
At least 24 activisits were abducted in early 1998. Nine have since spoken of being abducted and tortured. One was found dead and the rest remain missing.