Charges against Tommy Suharto

Premeditated murder Illegal possession of firearms Fleeing to avoid an 18 month conviction

She is accused of bribing three witnesses in Tommy Suharto's murder trial to change their testimonies.

Tommy faces the death penalty if found guilty of masterminding the murder of a judge who had convicted him of corruption.

Police say three security guards who testified in the trial have confessed to receiving two million rupiah ($213) each from Ms Syarief to change their statements in court.

They had initially identified Tommy as the owner of a cache of weapons found in a Jakarta apartment, but later told the court that police had intimated them.

Husband's plea

Ms Syarief has admitted before a professional disciplinary council that she gave money to the men, but said it was for them to buy clothes and rent a car and driver for their court appearance.

Tommy is the youngest son of the former president

If convicted of bribery she faces up to seven years in prison.

She has not yet been charged however.

"We will detain her for an initial 20 days and it can be extended for another 20 days if we cannot complete preparing her charge sheet in time," the police commissioner told the French news agency AFP.

Ms Syarief's husband and lawyers have been trying to secure her release. In a letter to police, Ms Syarief's husband is reported to have given a guarantee that his wife would not flee or destroy evidence and would comply with all police demands

"It is our hope that the police can quickly grant her a stay of detention so that she can assist her client Tommy Suharto" said lawyer Ruhut Sitompul.

Tommy, 40, is accused of paying two hitmen to gun down Supreme Court judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita in July 2001, while he was on the run from a prison sentence.

The judge had sentenced Tommy in September 2000 to 18 months in prison for corruption.

Tommy is the favourite son of former President Suharto, who stood down in 1998 amid mass riots. He was accused of corruptly amassing millions of dollars but has been judged too ill to stand trial.