Suharto ill, stays away from trial

JAKARTA, SEPT 14: The corruption trial of Indonesia's disgraced former dictator Suharto resumed under tight security today, but the former...

JAKARTA, SEPT 14: The corruption trial of Indonesia’s disgraced former dictator Suharto resumed under tight security today, but the former strongman again failed to attend due to ill health.

The court, which first convened two weeks ago, is scheduled to question Suharto’s 23-member medical team whose report was presented to the five-judge panel on the opening day of the trial.

Suharto, 79, is charged with embezzling $583 million in state funds to bankroll massive business empires for his children and cronies.

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His doctors say three strokes have damaged the former autocrat’s brain and that he also suffers from hypertension, kidney stones and heart problems. But government physicians maintain he is fit enough to face court.

Suharto’s attorneys have suggested that if the courts cannot decide which medical opinion is correct, they should seek the opinion of independent foreign physicians.

Members of Suharto’s legal team said there were no plans for Suharto to appear in court. They said doctors were going to conduct a checkup on Suharto.

Today’s court session comes a day after a car bomb demolished the basement garage of the Jakarta Stock Exchange. It was the latest in a string of mysterious blasts in Jakarta that have coincided with each step in the case.

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