Former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali claimed that he received frequent requests from state officials to be offered a place in the yearly haj when he served as a minister.

'€œThere were a lot of haj seat requests from House of Representatives members, ministries at the United Indonesia Cabinet II, National Police and Indonesian Military officials and Presidential and Vice Presidential Office staffers, as well as Islamic boarding schools and individuals,'€ he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Suryadharma was speaking during a trial, in which former Religious Affairs Ministry director general for haj and umrah (minor pilgrimage) Anggito Abimanyu was a witness in a graft case, allegedly involving the former minister, at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) on Monday.

Anggito confirmed Suryadharma'€™s statements. He predicted that the number of haj seat requests submitted by organizations and institutions to the Religious Affairs Ministry could be in the tens of thousands. '€œThe Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] has confiscated the data [on the haj seat requests],'€ said Anggito.

The economist further explained it was Suryadharma who had the sole authority to grant the requests; however, he said, not all of the requests were fulfilled.

Suryadharma considered that such haj seat requests submitted by those parties were normal because ministries and institutions, which requested the unused haj seats, paid for their pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by themselves.

'€œOf course they paid for their pilgrimages by themselves. It'€™s not a problem because none of our haj pilgrims suffered losses from the use of the haj seats,'€ said Suryadharma.

The former minister said the state would suffer bigger losses if the quota remnants were not used; therefore, he said, he granted the haj seat requests, along with available quotas.

Suryadharma further said most of the haj quota remnants were not used by ministers or state officials who asked for them. '€œPak Purnomo Yusgiantoro [former defense minister] personally asked for several haj seats but he then gave them to his staff members,'€ said Suryadharma.

In the 2010-2013 haj program, then director general for haj and umrah Slamet Riyanto claimed that he had received requests from members of the House'€™s Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs to give several people free haj seats and allow them to be on the Haj Management Committee (PPIH).

Suryadharma agreed to grant the requests and he even directly appointed several people to become PPIH officials. The problem was the recommended officials did not meet requirements and were not selected based on existing mechanisms.

Suryadharma was also suspected to have given his inner circles, such as family members, assistants, private security guards and drivers free haj seats.

Suryadharma is charged with allegedly violating Articles 2 and 18 of Law No. 31/1999 in reference to Law No. 20/2001 on Corruption Eradication and Articles 55 and 65 of the Criminal Code. (ebf)

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