JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Former Indonesian President Suharto filed a multibillion dollar defamation lawsuit today against Time magazine over a story that accused him of amassing a fortune during his three decades of authoritarian rule.
Speaking to reporters at his Jakarta residence, the 78-year-old Suharto described Time's report as an "unlawful and defamatory, insulting and baseless accusation, not only against me but the Indonesian nation."He said that if he won the case, he would donate any damages to "the Indonesian people ... especially to help the poor ones."
Suharto, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, ruled the nation for 32 years but was forced to step down in May 1998 after riots and protests.
A cover story in Time magazine's Asian edition this May claimed Suharto's family transferred $9 billion from Switzerland to Austria just before he quit. It also said Suharto's family had accumulated $15 billion in assets.
"Time is ready to face Suharto's lawsuit," the magazine's lawyer, Todung Mulya Lubis, said today. "And I think it is a good opportunity for the court to find out the truth behind the long-awaited case."
Suharto's lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon, declined to disclose the exact amount Suharto was seeking in the lawsuit filed in Central Jakarta District Court. However, the official Antara news agency quoted unspecified sources as saying Suharto has sought a total compensation of $27.7 billion.
Lubis described the demand as "fantastic."
The government has launched a corruption inquiry into Suharto's affairs but has failed to unearth evidence against him. Suharto has denied wrongdoing.