JURIST - Paper Chase: Former Indonesia dictator said still unfit to stand trial

[JURIST] A presidential doctor in Indonesia [JURIST news archive] Saturday declared former dictator General Suharto [Wikipedia backgrounder] still unfit to stand trial, as he suffers from permanent brain damage and cannot have a logical conversation. Recently renewed efforts to have Suharto stand trial on corruption charges prompted Dr. Marjo Subiandono, a Brigadier General, to re-examine Suharto to see if he showed any signs of improvement after suffering two strokes since his resignation in 1998. Suharto stepped down amid violent protests against his three-decade dictatorship that used security forces to stifle dissent. In 2000, a court threw out corruption charges [Irish Examiner report] against him for allegedly embezzling $600 million of state funds after doctors initially declared him unfit. Indonesian Attorney General Abdul Rachman Saleh still plans to have a team of 20 doctors re-examine Suharto.

While unable to prosecute Suharto, the Indonesian state has pursued legal actions against his former subordinates and family members, including son Tommy Suharto [Wikipedia backgrounder], who was convicted [CNN report] in 2002 of arranging the murder of a Supreme Court judge. AP has more.

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