A court in Guernsey has approved the Indonesian government's request to extend a freeze on funds belonging to former President Suharto's youngest son, a prosecutor said on Sunday.
Hutomo Mandala Putra, or Tommy Suharto, whose business empire included cars, airlines, and property, is under investigation over various deals as the government attempts to recover funds from Indonesia's powerful dynasty.
Yoseph Suardi Sabda, an Indonesian prosecutor, said the Guernsey court agreed last week to freeze the funds until 23 May 2009, paving the way for the Indonesian government to recover money deposited overseas by Suharto's youngest son.
"The Guernsey decision was made on August 29 to keep freezing the funds until next year," Sabda said. Tommy Suharto's company, Garnet Investment, sued a branch of French bank BNP Paribas in Guernsey in 2007 for refusing to release at least 36 million euros it had deposited.
By the time Suharto was forced to step down in 1998 amid a spiralling economic and political crisis, his family and friends dominated virtually every sector of the Indonesian economy, and many owed the country's banks millions of dollars. Last week, the Indonesian government seized $134 million from Timor Putra Nasional, a car company owned by Tommy Suharto.
Transparency International ranked ex-President Suharto, who died in January, as the world's leading kleptocrat with a fortune estimated at $15-$35 billion during his 32-year rule. The former president and family members have denied any wrongdoing.