Jakarta – Lawyers for the Indonesian timber tycoon Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, a close associate of former president Soeharto, say they will appeal after Hasan was sentenced to six years' jail for corruption.

Last month Hasan was sentenced to a two-year term by the Central Jakarta District Court for a $A492 million scam involving a state forest mapping project during the early 1990s.

On Wednesday the Jakarta High Court upheld a prosecution appeal and extended the sentence to six years. It also ordered Hasan to pay back the entire sum.

Hasan became one of Indonesia's richest men during the Soeharto era, and was regarded as a close adviser to the president. In return for his loyalty to the authoritarian leader he was granted a long list of lucrative government contracts and monopolies.

He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee.