Jakarta – An Indonesian judge yesterday ordered prosecutors to check on Tommy Suharto in jail after the youngest son of former president Suharto sent a sick note to his murder and weapons trial.

Prosecutors were due yesterday to present final arguments and recommend a sentence should the five judges find him guilty. Both charges are punishable by death.

But chief judge Amiruddin Zakaria read out a letter from a jail doctor certifying that Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala Putra, 39, was sick and needed rest.

Prosecutor Hasan Madani told the court it was strange the letter was only filed the day the defendant was to appear and that the doctor had left blank the number of rest days he needed.

Questioned after the trial, Mr Madani declined to speculate whether the sickness was a means of buying time.

Mr Muhammad Assegaf, one of Tommy's lawyers, said he was only told of the letter earlier yesterday and had no details of the illness.

Judge Zakaria ordered prosecutors to visit Tommy in jail to observe his condition. The Cipinang jail doctor Ilham said yesterday that he had been summoned by the head of the jail to examine Tommy after complaints that he was suffering from diarrhoea.

"In the letter, if you read it, it only states the sickness but I did not say how long he needed to rest and I certainly did not say that the trial should be postponed. That is for the judges to decide," Dr Ilham said.

The court was adjourned until Monday when both prosecution and defence will sum up their arguments. The judges will then announce their verdict and pass sentence, should the defendant be found guilty.