BBC NEWS Americas Africa Europe Middle East South Asia Asia Pacific Arabic Spanish Russian Chinese Welsh
BBCi CATEGORIES   TV   RADIO   COMMUNICATE   WHERE I LIVE   INDEX    SEARCH 

BBC NEWS
 You are in: World: Asia-Pacific
Front Page 
World 
Africa 
Americas 
Asia-Pacific 
Europe 
Middle East 
South Asia 
-------------
From Our Own Correspondent 
-------------
Letter From America 
UK 
UK Politics 
Business 
Sci/Tech 
Health 
Education 
Entertainment 
Talking Point 
In Depth 
AudioVideo 


Commonwealth Games 2002

BBC Sport

BBC Weather

SERVICES 
Tuesday, 14 August, 2001, 08:48 GMT 09:48 UK
Tommy Suharto's nephew detained
Tommy Suharto
Tommy: Convicted for corruption linked to a land scam
Indonesian police hunting for Tommy Suharto, the fugitive son of former President Suharto, have detained one of his nephews.

Tommy's Suharto's wife, Tata
Tommy's wife, Tata, was questioned by police
Ari Sigit Suharto, the former president's eldest grandson, was taken in for questioning after police found 70 rounds of live ammunition at his Jakarta house, during a search for Tommy Suharto.

Tommy Suharto (real name Hutomo Mandala Putra) has been on the run since last November when he failed to turn himself in to serve an 18-month prison sentence for corruption.


We will urge him to turn himself in, if and when [he] calls the family,

Tommy Suharto's wife
Police also want to question him about the drive-by shooting last month of the judge who sentenced him, which they have publicly accused him of masterminding, and over a series of bomb attacks in the capital.

They have stepped up their efforts to arrest Tommy, spreading wanted posters across Jakarta and raiding homes belonging to him and his family. The family has a cluster of luxury homes in the city's central Menteng district.

Police questioning

Ari Sigit was detained on Monday night during the search for Tommy, said Jakarta police spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam.

"His detention will be based on the law which stipulates police can detain a suspect after 24 hours of questioning," he said.

Tommy Suharto's eldest sister, Tutut
Tommy's sister said he wants to clear his name
On Monday Tommy's wife, Ardhia Pramesti Regita "Tata" Cahyani, was questioned for six hours by police and later called on her husband to surrender.

"We will urge him to turn himself in," she told reporters. "If and when (he) calls the family, we will urge him to clear himself."

His eldest sister Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana, who has also been questioned, last week told police that her brother had telephoned her and told her he wanted to hand himself in. No time frame was given for that to happen, but last week Jakarta police chief Sofyan Yacub said he was confident the fugitive would surrender.

Police have come under a lot of criticism for failing to catch Tommy Suharto. New President Megawati Sukarnoputri has put them under renewed pressure by ordering them to arrest the playboy multi-millionaire.

Wanted posters show a picture of Tommy with a beard, which police says he has used for a fake ID under the name Ibrahim.

See also:

10 Aug 01 | Asia-Pacific
Suharto son 'offers' to surrender
08 Aug 01 | Asia-Pacific
Suharto son wanted for $54,000
07 Aug 01 | Asia-Pacific
Suharto's son linked to killing
26 Jul 01 | Asia-Pacific
Tommy Suharto judge shot dead
30 Jan 01 | Asia-Pacific
Tommy Suharto's bank accounts frozen
16 Jan 01 | Asia-Pacific
Police break into Suharto bunker
07 Aug 01 | Asia-Pacific
Profile: Suharto's playboy son
29 Dec 00 | Asia-Pacific
Tommy Suharto escapes - again
04 Oct 00 | Asia-Pacific
No pardon for Tommy Suharto
28 Sep 00 | Asia-Pacific
Suharto's fortune
Internet links:


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Links to more Asia-Pacific stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more Asia-Pacific stories