"The worst kleptocrat was Mohamed Suharto, Indonesian president from 1967 until 1998 but virtual military ruler from 1957. His brutal regime saw 2 million massacred following an attempted Communist coup in 1965, 250,000 killed in his 1975 invasion of East Timor and hundreds of thousands tortured and murdered during his dictatorship. Spectacular economic growth brought limited benefit to his people, far more to Suharto and his cronies, who fabulously enriched themselves, his wife’s lucrative commission earning her the nickname ‘Madam Ten Percent’. His klepocracy was laid bare after his forced resignation in 1998 following Asian financial meltdown: US$15-35 billion according to Transparency International. Disputed claims of ill health, however, allowed him to escape justice; he died in 2008."
Suharto

January 1, 1970

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Original Language: English