Tommy Suharto in bid to recover overseas assets
May 9th, 2008 | by Indonesia News |JAKARTA ? A lawyer for the son of late Indonesian president Suharto said yesterday he would file a suit in the British dependency of Guernsey seeking the release of millions of dollars in frozen assets.
Otto Cornelius Kaligis said that Hutomo ?Tommy? Mandala Putra Suharto would file evidence in a Guernsey court to block a move by Indonesia?s government to extend a freeze on a BNP Paribas account belonging to his client.
?We will file the evidence before May 13 in the Guernsey court to counter the government?s allegations that my client was involved in corruption,? Kaligis said.
Jakarta this week launched a civil corruption suit against the late dictator?s reputed favourite son, alleging he misappropriated more than 400 million dollars while running a business that imported South Korean cars and changed their labels to make them appear as if they were made in Indonesia.
Prosecutors allege Tommy avoided repaying a state loan to his car company PT Timor by illegally selling company assets to another one of his companies during the Asian financial crisis.
Authorities want the $55.8m in the BNP Paribas account to be seized if their case is successful.
State prosecutor Yosef Suardi Sabda saidthe government had sent an affidavit to the Guernsey court on May 2 to request the assets remained frozen.
thepeninsulaqatar.com
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