Jakarta – Former Indonesian president Suharto has ordered lawyers to sue Time magazine over a report that it had traced 15 billion dollars accumulated by him and his family, a report said Monday.

"All of the reports on Suharto by Time in this week's edition are big lies," the evening Berita Buana daily quoted Suharto lawyer Felix Tampubolon as saying.

Suharto's order is clear, to take firm action against on the libelous reports by the magazine."

"Therefore, soon we will sue them, and bring them to civil or criminal court. If we don't do something about it, there will be many others who will slander [Suharto] as they like, without strong evidence," he said. "We will go ahead even if [the case has to be heard] in an overseas court," Tampubolon added.

He challenged anyone with evidence of Suharto's wealth to submit it to Indonesia's attoney general who is investigating the wealth accumulated by the Suharto family during his 32 years in power.

"Don't just talk to the media, which only make people confused. Legally speaking, holding evidence is a crime," Tampubolon said.

The Time issue containing the report has yet to be released in Indonesia, but a Time press release containing the main findings made front page news in most newspapers Monday.

Since his fall in May last year Suharto has repeatedly denied that he is wealthy, but has not mentioned that of his six children.

The children between them own, wholly or partly, hundreds of Indonesian companies ranging from shipping to real estate and oil to plantations and toll roads.