Probosutedjo facing fraud charges

JAKARTA: Magnate Probosutedjo, a step brother of former dictator Soeharto, is to be charged with swindling Rp 44 billion of state funds, Attorney General's Office spokesman Barman Zahir said Tuesday.

Investigators handed Probosutedjo's fraud case to the Jakarta Prosecution Office on Tuesday. It is expected to take at least three weeks for the case to be brought to the Central Jakarta District Court.

Probosutedjo has been accused of marking up the size of PT Menara Hutan Buana's industrial timber estate in South Kalimantan to obtain reforestation funds totaling Rp 144.4 billion in the form of an interest-free loan in November 1996.

The project was believed to be worth only Rp 105.5 billion.

"PT Menara also got a Rp 5.6 billion loan for reforestation but the money was used for other business and not to manage the timber estate," Barman added. -- JP

;JP;BBY; ANPAa..r.. Scene-Soeharto-health Prosecutors to check Soeharto's health JP/4/SCENE

Soeharto's health check undecided

JAKARTA: State prosecutors are planning to check former president Soeharto's health later this week before deciding whether or not to reopen his corruption case.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Barman Zahir said on Tuesday that South Jakarta Prosecutors' Office head Poerwanto would hold a meeting with doctors from state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital on Wednesday.

"The meeting is aimed at establishing a medical team to assess whether Soeharto is fit to stand trial," Barman said.

Soeharto, who turned 82 last Saturday, was a no-show at his trial held in September 2000 due to ill-health.

The South Jakarta District Court decided not to pursue corruption charges against Soeharto in 2001 after hearing arguments from an independent team of doctors that the former dictator was mentally and physically unfit to stand trial.

Soeharto has been accused of misappropriating funds worth US$571 million during his rule for more than three decades until 1998. -- JP