Soeharto's Son Sentenced to 18 Months in JailIndonesia's Supreme Court sentenced the youngest son of former dictator Soeharto to 18 months in prison on corruption charges after reversing a lower court acquittal, two judges said Sept. 26.Hutomo Tommy” Mandala Putra, 37, was charged in a multimillion-dollar property deal with the state's main food supply agency in 1997. Prosecutors said it enriched him but cost the government $10.8 million. He had been acquitted by the South Jakarta District Court in October. The Supreme Court made its decision Friday, but in line with Indonesian legal procedure did not announce it publicly. Sunu Mahadi, a member of the three-judge Supreme Court panel that handed down the ruling, confirmed the verdict and the sentence. A second judge, Suharso, also confirmed the ruling. The decision could be subjected to a further judicial review, the judges said. Tommy can only appeal for a judicial review if he has new evidence to prove his innocence,” said Suharso, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. His lawyers said they would apply for such an appeal and that he had not been detained by police. The ruling is the latest blow to the family of Soeharto, who ruled the world's fourth most-populous nation for 32 years until riots and protests forced him to step down in 1998. News of the Supreme Court's decision came less than 48 hours before Suharto himself was due to appear in court in a separate corruption case. The former dictator is accused of siphoning off at least $583 million in state funds to bankroll businesses controlled by his cronies and children, including Tommy. |
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