Religion minister quits after graft accusations

May 29, 2014

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JAKARTA, Indonesia – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali resigned Monday (May 26th) after being accused of misusing funds meant to help Muslims go on Hajj, AFP reported.

Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali (left) attends a ceremony in Jakarta on May 20th. Suryadharma resigned Monday (May 26th) after being named a suspect in a $20m Hajj graft scandal. [Adek Berry/AFP]

The anti-corruption agency last week named him a suspect in its investigation into alleged graft in the organisation of the 2012-13 Hajj.

The agency previously said it detected suspicious transactions of around $20m in a special Hajj fund combining government money and cash from people planning to make the pilgrimage.

Suryadharma insisted he would not resign over the allegations, but changed his mind after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday.

Media reported one of the allegations against Suryadharma was he helped some 100 people, including relatives and lawmakers, skip the queue to go on the Hajj.

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- Helena
  
  May 31, 2014 @ 08:05:49AM
- There he is, a supporter of Prabowo, a minister for religious affairs who is corrupt and wallowing in wealth belonging to the people, who have been saving up for years to embark on the hajj. The Department of Religious Affairs should be dissolved because its utility is questionable. Hajj can be organized through professional travel bureaus which are cheaper. They say that embarking on hajj from Australia is cheaper than departing from Indonesia. This business serves only to enrich its organizers. Schools under this department are not progressive schools. I pity the graduates. On the other hand, it seems schools are being made into centers for radicalization of the faithful. Ever since schools such as these began flourishing Indonesia has been wracked by terrorism.