The late former Indonesian president Soeharto was acquitted Thursday of corruption charges but his foundation was ordered by the court to pay the equivalent of 110.7 million U.S. dollars to compensate state losses.
State prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against Soeharto, who died on Jan. 27, and his Supersemar Foundation for allegedly collecting funds from state banks to give scholarships to students from poor families.
The indictment alleges the foundation of embezzling 420 million dollars and 185 billion rupiah (20.1 million dollars) in state funds and seeks compensation of that amount.
"The judge panel has concluded that the fund... raised by the Supersemar Foundation didn't entirely come from the government," judge Aswan Nurcahyo said when reading the verdict at the South Jakarta District Court.
"In fact, most of the funds have been disbursed for scholarship program," he said, explaining why the fine was lower than the prosecution demand.
Prosecutors said earlier the Supersemar Foundation had obliged all state banks to donate at least 5 percent of their net profit for social donations since it was founded in 1976.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) claimed it had secured evidence that a considerable amount of the fund went to private companies such as now-defunct airliner Sempati Air and retailer Goro, in which Soeharto's son Tommy had a share.
Part of the fund also was donated to Kosgoro, an affiliate of Golkar Party that became Soeharto's political vehicle during 32 years in power.
Source:Xinhua
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