Suharto Son a Suspect in Indonesia Corruption Case

Prosecutors have formally named the youngest son of former President Suharto as a suspect in a corruption case involving a shady land deal, a news report said Friday.

The newspaper Kompas reported that Hutomo “Tommy” Mandala Putra, Suharto’s youngest son, and Beddu Amang, a former chief of a state-run food distribution organization known as Bulog, had been named as suspects. Both have been banned from leaving Indonesia.

Officials at the attorney general’s office say they are investigating a land deal between Bulog and a company owned by Tommy in which the Indonesian government allegedly lost millions of dollars.

Under Indonesian law, people are named as suspects after preliminary questioning.

The development comes two days after prosecutors questioned the ex-president in a separate investigation over allegations that Suharto had illegally amassed a fortune during 32 years in power.

Suharto, who resigned in May after a wave of student protests and riots, has denied any wrongdoing. Opponents allege that he abused his power to build business empires for his six children.

Student protesters, who helped oust Suharto more than six months ago, have staged near-daily demonstrations demanding that he stand trial. Hundreds protested Friday near parliament, and an estimated 10,000 students marched Thursday to demand legal action against Suharto.

Two other Suharto sons, Bambang Trihatmodjo and Sigit Harjojudanto, have also been questioned over a series of recent bank collapses. Bambang has also been prohibited from traveling overseas.