Jakarta
Indonesians want their money back. The government filed a lawsuit this week against former dictator Suharto, seeking $1.5 billion of the estimated $20 billion he looted from the state during his 32-year rule. Suharto was ousted in 1998 and charged with multiple crimes, but he never appeared in court. His lawyers have successfully argued that the 86-year-old is too sick to stand trial. The civil lawsuit is seen as a last-ditch effort to bring him to justice by another route. But anti-corruption campaigners doubt that it will work, as the Suharto family still has powerful political connections and financial clout.
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