Suharto daughter faces corruption probe

Tutut is alleged to have overcharged a state company

By Richard Galpin in Jakarta

The eldest daughter of the former Indonesian President Suharto has appeared for questioning by state prosecutors over allegations of corruption.

Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, known as Tutut, had failed to keep a series of previous appointments.

She has been named a suspect in a multi-million dollar corruption case involving the state oil and gas company, alleged to have occurred whilst her father was still in power.

She has already been banned from travelling abroad.

Excessive charges

Accompanied by her bodyguards and lawyer, Tutut arrived at the attorney-general's office in the capital without making any comment to waiting journalists.

Tommy Suharto is in hiding

State prosecutors say a business owned by the former president's daughter massively overcharged the state oil and gas company, Pertamina, for work on a pipeline project begun in the late 1980s.

When the project was cancelled, her firm charged almost $37m for what it said had already been completed.

But officials say this was more than double the real value of the work.

Tutut, who is believed to be one of Indonesia's wealthiest women, was originally due to be questioned last week but she failed to turn up at the attorney-general's office, saying she had a bad cold.

'Political motivation'

Her lawyer has already dismissed the allegations against her as politically motivated.

She is the third member of the former ruling family to face corruption charges.

Mr Suharto and his six children are alleged to have amassed a fortune worth $15bn during his three decades in power.

But the case against the former president himself collapsed last year.

And whilst his youngest son, Tommy, was actually convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison, he is now in hiding after slipping away from his home in central Jakarta, apparently unnoticed by the authorities.