BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | Tommy Suharto judge shot dead

An Indonesian judge who upheld an 18-month jail sentence on the youngest son of former Indonesian President Suharto has been shot dead.

Syaifuddin Kartasasita, 61, was hit several times from close range as he drove his car to his office in central Jakarta, said police.

The two killers were on a motorbike driving in the opposite direction, according to the Antara news agency.

National police spokesman Major General Didi Widayadi said they were professional assassins.

"It appears the judge had been targeted," he said, adding that police were still investigating the motive for the killing.

On the run

Last September, the judge reinforced a jail sentence issued by a lower court on Tommy Suharto, whose real name is Hutomo Mandala Putra.

Mr Suharto
President Suharto was forced to resign in 1998
The millionaire playboy, convicted for his role in an $11m property scam, disappeared in November after a warrant for his arrest was issued. He has not been seen in public since and his family and friends say they have no idea where he is hiding.

Despite an international manhunt, Tommy has continued to evade capture.

Tommy is the only member of the Suharto family to have been convicted of a crime. The family is accused of profiting from corruption during Suharto's 32 years in power.

Last year, a court dismissed corruption charges against 79-year-old Suharto on grounds of ill health. State prosecutors have appealed against the ruling.


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