Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Eight years after Soeharto stepped down as president, the Indonesian Government has announced new moves against the 85-year-old, who ruled with an iron grip for 32 years.
As fallen strongmen go, Soeharto has had it pretty good. He spends his days watching the National Geographic channel on cable television and feeding his parrot on the veranda of his Dutch-era house in the Jakarta suburb of Menteng.
The High Court in Jakarta last August approved a decision by the Attorney-General's office to drop charges of embezzlement of more than $US500 million amassed by seven foundations Soeharto controlled during his rule, citing his ill health.
But the Attorney-General's office is now set to file a civil suit against Soeharto and his youngest son, Hutomo Mandala Putra, 44, known as Tommy. The action in the State Administrative Court is an attempt to recover some of the money Soeharto allegedly transferred from state coffers.
The Attorney-General, Abdul Rahman Saleh, said his office was still deciding how much it wants to seize, but it would be "a lot".
Human rights groups had criticised the failure to pursue criminal charges against Soeharto. "No charges have been brought against the former president for human rights violations committed during his more than three decades of power," the US-based Human Rights Watch said.
Soeharto, who is usually seen in public only when being taken to hospital for various ailments, has made no comment about the suit. He has denied amassing illegal wealth, saying the foundation money was spent on the poor.
The Attorney-General's office has also announced plans to pursue Tommy over allegedly corrupt funds that it suspects he deposited in two bank accounts in the British tax haven of Guernsey. Mr Saleh told reporters his office would appoint a lawyer in Guernsey to try to recover funds.
Tommy has been busy since he was released from jail last November after serving less than a third of his original 15-year sentence for paying a gunman to kill a judge who had convicted him of corruption and illegal weapons possession.
He has said he plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on three large property projects, including a resort on 400 hectares and a marina in Bali.