Ex-Minister Demanded Rp1 trillion as Compensation from KPK

Jakarta (Antara Bali) -- Former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali has demanded Rp1 trillion as compensation from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for naming him as a suspect in a graft case.

"We appeal to the judge to order the defendant (KPK) to pay him Rp1 trillion as compensation for naming him as a suspect and inflicting losses on him," Humphrey R. Djemat, one of Ali's lawyers, said in a pretrial suit at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

Johnson Panjaitan, another one of Ali's lawyers, added that his client had demanded Rp1 trillion as compensation on the grounds that the KPK's decision to name him as a suspect had harmed his reputation.

"He has demanded Rp1 trillion as compensation because this concerns his dignity," he remarked.
According to Panjaitan, the anti-corruption body's decision had harmed not only his client, but his client's family and agency as well.

Moreover, Ali also appealed to the judge to declare the decisions that ordered the investigation into his case as illegitimate.

In the pretrial suit, he also questioned the KPK's authority to handle a corruption case pursuant to article 11 letter a of the law on the KPK.

Ali's team of lawyers is of the view that the anti-graft agency did not meet the required conditions to handle their client's case because it did not find a state loss of at least Rp1 billion in the case.

The KPK named Ali as a suspect in a case of misappropriation of Hajj funds.

On February 23, the former minister filed a pretrial suit at the South Jakarta District Court challenging the KPK's decision of naming him as a suspect in an alleged graft case linked to the management of Hajj funds in the 2012-2013 period.

He filed another pretrial suit against the KPK at the court on March 9.

Djemat pointed out that Ali's team of lawyers filed the suit citing insufficient preliminary evidence to suggest his client's role as a suspect.

The alleged graft case involves the misappropriation of budget funds for Hajj pilgrimage, including pilgrims' accommodation costs and transportation fees in Saudi Arabia. The mismanagement is believed to have inflicted losses worth Rp1 trillion to the nation. (WDY)