Suharto

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Suharto was the second president of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998. For 31 years he ruled over Indonesia with an iron hand and under his rule his family stole roughly $15 billion in cash, shares, corporate assets, real estate, jewelry and fine art.

The legacy of Suharto's 31-year rule is debated both in Indonesia and abroad. Under his "New Order" administration, Suharto constructed a strong, centralised and military-dominated government. An ability to maintain stability over a sprawling and diverse Indonesia and an avowedly anti-Communist stance won him the economic and diplomatic support of the West during the Cold War. For most of his presidency, Indonesia experienced significant economic growth and industrialisation,[6] dramatically improving health, education and living standards.[7] Indonesia's invasion and occupation of East Timor during Suharto's presidency resulted in at least 100,000 deaths.[8] By the 1990s, the New Order's authoritarianism and widespread corruption[9] were a source of discontent.[10] In the years after his presidency, attempts to try him on charges of corruption and genocide failed because of his poor health and because of lack of support within Indonesia.