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home > publications > newsletter > 2007 > August 2007 > in the news > lawsuit against suharto
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By Bryan Li

Prosecutors in Indonesia have filed a civil lawsuit against former President Suharto, to recover state funds they allege went missing under his rule. State prosecutors are seeking US $440m they say disappeared from a national scholarship fund, and a further US $1.1bn in damages, BBC News reports.

According to a report in The New York Times, prosecutors have lined up more than two dozen witnesses that would present evidence that Suharto stole hundreds of millions from the government.

Suharto, 85, will not face a criminal trial on grounds of ill health. Prosecutors dismissed alleged corruption charges stemming from his 20 year rule of Indonesia, which ended in 1998 when he was forced to step down amid protests, Al-Jazeera reports.

"This is not a criminal case against corruption, but a civil lawsuit," said public prosecutor Dachamer Munthe, quoted in TIME magazine. "We just want the money back. It could be used for the development of this country."

BBC News describes Suharto’s legacy as President as controversial. His supporters credit him with leading his country from poverty to relative prosperity, making Indonesia a force to be reckoned with in Asia. He has been accused of a repressive regime, ignoring demands for political reform, and allowing human rights abuses, most notably in East Timor, according to BBC News.