Suripto is no loser. Fired by President Abdurrahman Wahid as secretary-general at the forestry and plantations ministry, the 62-year-old does not easily give up. He continues to go after timber barons, Prajogo Pangestu in particular, whom he accuses of stealing millions of dollars in state money.

To make it easy for the law to get its hands on Prajogo, Suripto diligently collects data implicating the man and his company, PT Musi Persada, in a