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Suharto family pocketed millions of dollars on British arms
Jakarta, July 15: The family of former dictator Suharto pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars in the 1990s through huge markups on arms imports for the Indonesian military, a media report said today.
Jakarta, July 15: The family of former dictator
Suharto pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars in the 1990s
through huge markups on arms imports for the Indonesian
military, a media report said today.
A trading company owned by Suharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti ``Tutut'' Rukmana acted as the agent in the procurement of 30 British-built hawk trainers and light attack jets between 1993 and 1995, the Jakarta post newspaper said. The firm inflated the original dollars eight million price for each jet to $ 30 million. This and other arms deals, including the purchase of 50 Alvis scorpion tanks, netted Tutut a profit of over $ 350 million, the report said. Air force spokesman Rear Marshall Imam Wahyudi declined to comment but said they are conducting a review of procurement procedures in the 1990s.
Suharto's incredibly wealthy family was heavily involved in numerous business ventures during his 32-year dictatorship, which was characterised by endemic corruption and nepotism. In June, during a visit to the Czech Republic, president Megawati Sukarnoputri noted that markups in defence equipment purchases were ``rampant'' in the past.
Tutut's company has since gone out of business and she could not immediately be reached for comment.
In 2000, corruption charges against Suharto, 82, were dropped after he claimed to be too ill to face trial. Suharto was accused of embezzling $ 600 million from a number of charities during his 32-year-rule. Bureau Report
A trading company owned by Suharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti ``Tutut'' Rukmana acted as the agent in the procurement of 30 British-built hawk trainers and light attack jets between 1993 and 1995, the Jakarta post newspaper said. The firm inflated the original dollars eight million price for each jet to $ 30 million. This and other arms deals, including the purchase of 50 Alvis scorpion tanks, netted Tutut a profit of over $ 350 million, the report said. Air force spokesman Rear Marshall Imam Wahyudi declined to comment but said they are conducting a review of procurement procedures in the 1990s.
Suharto's incredibly wealthy family was heavily involved in numerous business ventures during his 32-year dictatorship, which was characterised by endemic corruption and nepotism. In June, during a visit to the Czech Republic, president Megawati Sukarnoputri noted that markups in defence equipment purchases were ``rampant'' in the past.
Tutut's company has since gone out of business and she could not immediately be reached for comment.
In 2000, corruption charges against Suharto, 82, were dropped after he claimed to be too ill to face trial. Suharto was accused of embezzling $ 600 million from a number of charities during his 32-year-rule. Bureau Report