Yudhoyono will not press Suharto graft case
May 21, 2006 - 12:00AM
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said yesterday he would not intervene after prosecutors decided to drop corruption charges against ailing former dictator Suharto.
Mr Yudhoyono's remarks came as hundreds of students held a protests in Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya to demand Suharto be tried for corruption during his 32 years of autocratic rule.
"I respect the supremacy of law and therefore I will not interfere in the case of former president Suharto," Yudhoyono was quoted by the state news agency Antara as saying. "I must not step into (the case) because I could be wrong."
Mr Yudhoyono won Indonesia's first direct presidential election in 2004 on pledges to root out endemic corruption and uphold the rule of law.
Prosecutors had accused Suharto of misusing hundreds of millions of dollars from seven charitable foundations he established during his rule.
The attorney-general's office this month dropped the charges, citing Suharto's deteriorating health.
Lawyers and rights activists said they would file a class-action lawsuit on Monday against the attorney general's office to demand judges overturn the decision to abandon the Suharto case.
Activists have also demanded Suharto, who stepped down amid mounting unrest in 1998, be tried for rights abuses during his military-backed rule.
Suharto did not attend any of three sessions of his corruption trial in 2000, pleading ill health.
On Friday, the former autocrat underwent his third operation since he was admitted to Jakarta's Pertamina hospital in May 4 for intestinal bleeding. Doctors said today his condition had improved but he was still in a critical condition.
Mr Yudhoyono called on Suharto at the hospital yesterday and described his condition as "serious".
AFP
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:
1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi
4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SPONSORED LINKS
| Cultural diversity | Indonesian languages | Indonesian language learn |
| Indonesian language course |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "ppiindia" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
