Several Indonesian legislators have urged the attorney general to resume a corruption investigation into former autocratic president Suharto, one of the parliamentarians said.

"I have asked the attorney general's office to be more professional and continue its probe into the case of Suharto," said J.E. Sahetapy.

He said he and at least three other legislators made the demand Monday when attorney general M.A. Rachman appeared before a parliamentary commission.

Suharto's family and associates amassed billions of dollars through lucratrive monopolies or outright corruption during his 32-year rule. He stepped down under pressure in May 1998.

A 1999 investigation by Time magazine found that he and his six children still had assets at that time conservatively estimated at 15 billion dollars.

But a court in September 2000 ruled Suharto was mentally and physically unfit to stand trial on charges of embezzling 571 million dollars in state funds.

In July Rachman said medical tests had shown Suharto, now 82, is still unfit to stand trial.

"The fact is that Suharto is still strong enough to make long journeys, including to Nusakambangan [island jail] and even push his own daughter to present herself as a presidential candidate for the 2004 elections," Sahetapy told AFP.

Nusakambangan is an island jail off Java where his youngest son Tommy is serving a 15-year jail sentence for the murder of a judge.

Last week a small political party announced it wants Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, to run for president.

Sahetapy, a legislator from President Megawati Sukarnoputri's party, said that "if necessary, the parliamentary commission can question the concerned doctors or seek a more impartial verdict from foreign doctors."

Suharto has suffered various ailments including minor strokes since he stepped down. He lives quietly at home in the smart Jakarta suburb of Menteng.