Legislators urge seizure of Soeharto's vast assets

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Any ill-gotten wealth belonging to ailing former president Soeharto should be confiscated, despite the failure to take him to court due to his deteriorating health, senior legislators said on Thursday.

House of Representatives deputy speaker A.M. Fatwa said if the former dictator could not be put on trial because of poor health, his family members could become the next targets of justice on corruption charges.

"We should look into his family because the wealth is not in Soeharto's hands. He is only a symbol. Alternatively, the state can seize Soeharto's assets," he said.

Fatwa, who was once jailed for organizing an antigovernment protest during Soeharto's iron-fist rule, said the stalled legal process of the former president could justify the seizure of his assets.

Soeharto, 80, remains in a critical condition after being rushed to Pertamina Hospital on Monday to be treated for pneumonia.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung agreed with Fatwa, saying the legal authorities could go after Soeharto's family to get back the vast assets they had unlawfully amassed during his 32-year rule.

"As long as there is an indication and evidence we can carry it (prosecution) out," he said.

The suggestions came as President Megawati Soekarnoputri reportedly considers, for humanitarian reasons, dropping all corruption charges against the country's former strongman whose regime ended in May 1998.

However, legislator Sayuti Rahawarin doubted the authorities' ability to seize Soeharto's wealth, unless they managed to untangle the complex network in which his assets are believed to be hidden.

"Several officials are permanently involved in it (the network), but they have not been bothered so far," Sayuti told The Jakarta Post.

Hopes were high in 1999 that the government would seize Soeharto's alleged ill-gotten wealth when then-president BJ Habibie sent a team to Switzerland and Austria to trace the assets.

However, the hopes were dashed when then justice minister Muladi and attorney general Andi M. Ghalib failed to uncover clues as to the whereabouts of the assets that, according to Time magazine, amounted to approximately US$15 billion.

The magazine said that soon after Soeharto quit the presidency, he transferred $9 billion of his assets from a bank account in Switzerland to another in Austria.

"I have heard the assets were transferred to someone else's account. This would make it difficult for the government to trace them," Sayuti said.

The authorities have charged Soeharto with misusing $571 million in state funds, but have refrained from investigating him on charges of power abuse during his authoritarian rule.

Akbar also urged the authorities to take Soeharto's deteriorating health into serious consideration before deciding to continue the legal process against him.

"It's only for humanitarian reasons," he added.

However, Akbar stressed that although Soeharto had given an accountability speech before the legislature every five years during his tenure, many of his detrimental policies could still be processed through legal procedures.

Sayuti agreed with Akbar, saying about 300 presidential decrees issued by Soeharto favored his families and cronies. He did not elaborate.