Tommy Suharto's conviction revoked

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, OCT. 1. The Indonesian Supreme Court has revoked the conviction of Mr. Tommy Suharto, the fugitive son of the former dictator, Gen. Suharto, in a review of its earlier decision.

Mr. Tommy Suharto, who has been on the run since his conviction last September, had been sentenced to an 18-month jail term in a corruption case by the Supreme Court.

It was not immediately clear whether the junior Suharto, who is believed to be in hiding in Indonesia, will now come overground.

The Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mr. Bagir Manan, was quoted as saying in Jakarta today that the judicial review had been conducted fairly.

``It was based only on the law and had nothing to do with politics,'' the Chief Justice said.

Another of the judges involved in the review said that Mr. Tommy Suharto should never have been found guilty in the first place.

According to the Supreme Court, the junior Suharto was not linked to a company involved in a multi-million dollar real estate scam.

Mr. Nudirman Munir, a lawyer for Mr. Tommy Suharto, praised the Supreme Court for what he called a ``fair decision in hard times''.

There have been repeated allegations in the country that the judiciary, at various levels, comprises loyalists of the Suharto family.

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Section  : International
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