Robert Go, Jakarta – The government's inability to force the son of long-time ruler Suharto into jail makes a farce out of Indonesia's law enforcement, observers and analysts here said.

Ahead of fresh orders from President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday to arrest Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, police teams raided homes belonging to the fugitive businessman and other members of the Suharto family. But, as many observers expected, investigators did not find Hutomo, who was convicted of graft six weeks ago and was declared a fugitive officially on Monday.

His lawyers, meanwhile, continued what the authorities regarded as legal stalling tactics. They filed a judicial review, which in essence requested the Supreme Court to re-evaluate its own decision. "The defence lawyers' motions should be seen as an obstruction of justice," said human-rights lawyer Frans Winarta.

But, in what is seen as a more serious problem, law-enforcement officials have seemed willing to tolerate the motions, as well as other demands made by Hutomo's lawyers.

Mr Frans and other legal and political analysts here pointed out that prosecutors should have incarcerated Hutomo immediately after the Sept 22 conviction over a land scam in which the government lost nearly US$11 million.

Short of arresting him, police could have placed him under tight surveillance as lawyers for both sides engaged in lengthy negotiations over how and when the convict would surrender. But officials took none of these precautionary steps and demonstrated, as Mr Frans put it, "their inefficiency and incompetence".

The case, along with the government action against Mr Suharto, has long been seen as a test of the government's resolve. Indonesia ranks consistently as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

But as Chief Economics Minister Rizal Ramli warned recently, Hutomo's arrest will have an immediate impact on Indonesian domestic political and economic developments. "The perception that legal uncertainty is the norm in Indonesia will further undermine investors' confidence and hurt the government's ability to project stability," he said.

Presidential spokesman Wimar Witular similarly admitted that the continuing saga over Hutomo raises questions about the government's level of control in Indonesia. "We are doing everything we can and more importantly, we are doing it by the book. But the President is very disappointed and angry with the apparatus for failing to execute the arrest orders," he said.

According to Mr Wimar, another of the President's worries involves allegations circulating in some local media and among Jakarta's political elite that Mr Abdurrahman had struck some sort of deal to protect the Suharto family.

Mr Abdurrahman himself might have given weight to such speculation after holding several meetings with members of the Suharto family – including Hutomo and elder sister Siti Hariyanti Rukmana. At these meetings, he reportedly made attempts to recover unspecified amounts of money allegedly stolen from the state during Mr Suharto's 32-year rule. Mr Wimar rejected such allegations, saying: "We have not made a deal and we will not make a deal."

The quickest, and some say the only way for Mr Abdurrahman to show that his government has not been compromised is to quickly jail Hutomo and to not allow the fugitive's lawyers room to stall the process. But the only thing anyone here can be sure of is that Hutomo is not yet in jail.