On his 40th birthday, Hutomo Mandala Putra alias Tommy Suharto heard state prosecutor Hasan Madani demand that the court sentence him to 15 years in to jail. The public attending the Central Jakarta District Court trial that was held at the Meteorology & Geophysics Agency building in Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Monday could only boo in disappointment at this outcome.

A 15-year jail term, if it is actually served by the guilty—who