But an appeals court quashed the verdict, and Mr Sabirin is still setting interest rates.

ECONOMIST: The party that backed Suharto remains strong

Golkar seems to hope that Mr Tandjung's legal troubles will play out like those of Syahril Sabirin, the governor of the central bank.

ECONOMIST: The party that backed Suharto remains strong

The central bank's governor, Syahril Sabirin, has just been sentenced to three years over the 1999 Bank Bali scandal, but is still refusing to resign, hiding behind a law that makes it virtually impossible to fire the central-bank chief.

ECONOMIST: Indonesia