Curtains Go Down on the Suharto Case

A Jakarta court dropped a bombshell when it dismissed the corruption charges brought against former strongman Suharto. The ruling has been heavily criticized and President Abdurrahman Wahid even went so far as to accuse the judges of being "open for sale".

October 2, 2000

The case of the former president generated considerable public attention, but it ended with a huge anti-climax. On September 28, five judges led by Lalu Mariyun surprisingly dropped all charges against Suharto. The reason? Suharto is suffering from poor health that renders him permanently unfit to stand trial. The panel of judges from the South Jakarta District Court also decided to scratch the case from the register.

Soeharto was accused of f

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