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Former Indonesian president acquitted on money charges
Bahrain News.Net
Thursday 27th March, 2008
An Indonesian court has acquitted the late former president Suharto on charges of misusing funds.
One of his charitable foundations had sued Suharto in a US$1.4 billion civil suit but in a legal surprise, the court instead ordered that the Supersemar foundation pay around US$110 million to the government.
A board of judges at the South Jakarta court ruled Suharto could not be held responsible personally because decisions were approved by the Supersemar foundation's board.
The lawsuit brought by state prosecutors had sought a total of US$440 million of state funds and a further US$1.09 billion in damages over the alleged misuse of funds.
Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for 32 years until 1998, died in January at the age of 86 and the court subsequently ordered one of his children to defend the case.
In previous hearings, prosecutors said the foundation had paid money to companies owned by members of the Suharto family or their close associates.
These included a privately owned bank, an airline controlled by one of Suharto's sons, a logging firm, and a cooperative linked to Golkar, Suharto’s political party.
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Anonymous
03-27-08, 06:01 PM |
Former Indonesia president acquitted on money charges
Charitable foundation sounds like a money laundering operation and one of a number owned by the Suharto dynasty. Hoe evil in a country surrounded by such poverty.
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