Suharto son evades jail again

Antasari Azhar: No reason for Tommy to escape justice

By Jakarta correspondent Richard Galpin

Attempts to jail the youngest son of former Indonesian President Suharto are rapidly becoming farcical after he again managed to give the authorities the slip, despite being convicted of corruption more than six weeks ago.

Millionaire playboy Tommy Suharto, 38, was due to appear before state prosecutors in the capital on Monday morning.

But his lawyers are still claiming they have not received the correct paperwork for him to be handed over to begin his 18-month prison sentence.

Clemency rejected

State prosecutors insist they have already issued all the necessary legal documents, specifically, the presidential decree rejecting the appeal for clemency.

Tommy Suharto was not at home when police called to arest him

Prosecutor Antasari Azhar said Tommy Suharto would be declared a fugitive if he did not surrender by Monday evening.

"There are no more reasons for Tommy not to give himself up," he said.

The Supreme Court convicted Mr Suharto on 22 September of being involved in a land scam that cost the government $11m.

Last Friday police went to his house in central Jakarta to arrest him, but he had disappeared.

Despite coming to power last year saying it would prosecute members of the former regime guilty of corruption, the current government seems scared to act decisively against the family of former President Suharto.

President Abdurrahman Wahid officially rejected Tommy Suharto's appeal for clemency five days ago.

Convicted criminal

This should have removed the last legal obstacle to his immediate imprisonment.

But so far, at least, the authorities seem unwilling to use force to ensure this convicted criminal does serve his prison sentence - assuming they are eventually able to find him.

They are not even willing to say whether he will be officially declared a fugitive from justice.

Tommy is the first member of the Suharto family to be convicted for corruption and his imprisonment is regarded as vital to a campaign by Mr Wahid to clean up endemic corruption that flourished during Mr Suharto's 32-year rule.