The Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday sentenced former religious affairs minister and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Surydharma Ali to six years behind bars after he was convicted of embezzling the country'€™s haj funds between 2010 and 2013, causing billions of rupiah in state losses.

'€œOur examination into the case has found that the defendant is guilty of corruption together with other individuals in the case. We also order him to pay Rp 300 million in fines or he has to serve an additional three months,'€ said presiding judge Aswijon, reading the verdict on Monday.

Suryadharma'€™s verdict also confirms the role of other individuals in the case, including senior PPP politician Hasrul Azwar, a former lawmaker who was in charge of the haj program.

Hasrul, now serving as a member of House of Representatives'€™ Commission III overseeing legal affairs, is accused of having received millions of Saudi reals from a housing project for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, under Suryadharma'€™s tenure.

The panel of judges also ordered Suryadharma to pay Rp 1.8 billion in restitutions, adding that the PPP politician had to serve another two years behind bars should he fail to pay.

The sentence is lower from the 11 years earlier demanded last week by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors, in addition to their demand for the politician to be ordered to pay Rp 2.3 billion in restitutions and a Rp 750 million fine.

If within one month he fails to pay the restitutions then his possessions will be confiscated for auction, but if those possessions are valued lower than the demanded amount of money, then he will have to serve another four years behind bars. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional prison term of six months.

The panel of judges at the court refused to approve the KPK'€™s call to strip Suryadharma of his political right to run for government office in the future, claiming that despite the massive corruption '€œthe handling of the haj program under Suryadharma'€™s tenure had been improved'€.

Earlier, KPK prosecutors claimed that Suryadharma deserved the hefty sentence because he did not show any remorse, although court evidence had clearly confirmed his guilt in the case, adding that he also gave inconsistent testimony during the nearly four-month-long trial.

Suryadharma condemned the verdict, reminding the panel judges of the consequences of an unjust verdict that was made in a trial that was conducted '€œin the name of God'€.

'€œPlease give some time for me to consult with my lawyers about whether to challenge the verdict,'€ Suryadharma added.

Meanwhile, KPK prosecutors also expressed dissatisfaction over Monday'€™s verdict, saying they were considering appealing the sentence.

The KPK accused Suryadharma of appointing incompetent haj committee members for the 2010 to 2013 haj program that caused a total of Rp 13 billion in state losses. The KPK said he also falsely registered his family members, adjutants, personal assistants, drivers and campaign team members as haj members so that they could go on haj for free using state funds.

He also appointed his confidants as haj assistants in Saudi Arabia and gave them pocket money totalling Rp 345 million from the haj fund, of which Rp 56 million was funneled into his wife'€™s pockets.

Suryadharma also abused his authority as religious affairs minister to directly appoint consortium companies to provide housing for pilgrims in Jeddah and Madinah and determined the price by his own calculations that cost 15.4 million reals in state losses because of overpricing.

Between 2010 and 2012, Suryadharma also abused his authority to channel haj quota places intended for pilgrims to his relatives, fellow politicians from the PPP and House of Representatives lawmakers, which cost the state Rp 12 billion. In total, Suryadharma gave 1,771 haj seats to parties who did not legally merit them.

Suryadharma also increased the maximum age requirement for pilgrims from 60 to 87 years in order to accommodate House lawmakers and people endorsed by the House to go on haj for free using the haj quota, preventing pilgrims who had been registered on the waiting list for years from going on the haj between 2010 and 2013.

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