Garuda airline sued by son of late dictator Suharto

Late dictator Suharto’s son filed a civil suit Tuesday against Indonesia’s state-run airline for an in-flight magazine article that referred to him as a “convicted murderer.”

Late dictator Suharto’s son filed a civil suit Tuesday against Indonesia’s state-run airline for an in-flight magazine article that referred to him as a “convicted murderer.”

Tommy Suharto, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for ordering the assassination of a Supreme Court judge, is demanding a public apology from Garuda Indonesia and the publishers of its magazine, said his lawyer, Ferry Firman Nurwahyu.

Nurwahyu said the reference to Suharto’s conviction was “not at all relevant to the article,” which reviewed Suharto’s Pecatu Indah Resort on Bali island.

Representatives from Garuda could not be reached for immediate comment.

Presiding judge Tahsin, who goes by only one name, adjourned the hearing until Sept. 28 after the defendants failed to show up.

Tommy Suharto, who was released from prison in 2006 after serving just five years of his 15-year sentence, was also found guilty in July for tax evasion.

His father, Gen. Suharto, came to power in 1965 amid a coup that left hundreds of thousands of opponents dead or missing. During more than three decades in power his family is said to have amassed up to $35 billion.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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