JAKARTA Indonesia AP Ex-President Suharto his family and cronies control huge swathes of rain forest and other valuable timber resources in Indonesia a newspaper Tuesday quoted Cabinet minister as saying. Forestry and Plantations Minister Muslimin Nasution said officials had found nine million hectares 22 millions of forest concessions linked to the former leader. ``We found strong indications that those properties were acquired by the Suharto family and their cronies through corruption collusion and nepotism'' Nasution said as reported by The Jakarta Post. Muslimin said the concessions were controlled by the family of Suharto through shares held in various companies including some owned by timber tycoon and close Suharto associate Mohamad ``Bob'' Hasan. Suharto 77 who had ruled the world's fourth most populous country with an iron hand since 1966 resigned in May amid widespread student protests and riots that claimed about 1200 lives. The government is currently investigating the former president's wealth amid mounting calls for him to stand trial for corruption allegations. Suharto has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that he will cooperate with any investigation into his affairs. He has also denied that he has squirreled away a fortune in foreign banks. Critics have since accused him of siphoning off state wealth to benefit his family's massive business empires. Forbes magazine this year estimated Suharto's wealth at dlrs 4 billion. Some opponents claim it is many times that. Environmnetalists have long criticized the cutting down of Indonesia's jungles which are home to many endangered species as well as indigenous tribespeople. Other investigations by various central and local government agencies have found that the Suharto clan acquired vast areas of land across many parts of the sprawling Southeast Asian nation. On Monday the government postponed the appointment of a commission of inquiry into Suharto's wealth after it admitted that not enough people had agreed to serve on the panel. Suharto's successor President B.J. Habibie ordered the commission be set up after an earlier investigation by Attorney General Andi Mohamad Ghalib failed to find any evidence against Suharto. Many rejected it as a whitewash. Student protesters have repeatedly tried to march on Suharto's home in recent weeks demanding that he be prosecuted for corruption and human rights abuses. They also want his wealth to be confiscated. However they have been blocked by large numbers of police and troops. APW19981201.0655.txt.body.html APW19981201.0117.txt.body.html