Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Former Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali who has been named suspect in an inappropriate Hajj fund management case has filed another pretrial suit against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at the South Jakarta district court.

"Suryadharma filed another pretrial suit on March 9," spokesman for the South Jakarta District Court I Made Sutrisna said here on Tuesday.

Sutrisna added that the court has yet to appoint a judge to handle the pretrial on the grounds that the dossier of the case was registered just a day before.

"We have not appointed a judge yet because we still have to study the suit," he pointed out.

The judge is appointed within three days at the latest after a dossiers registration, he pointed out.

Suryadharma had first filed a pretrial suit at the court on February 23 but pulled out on March 3 in order to improve it.

On February 23, the former minister filed a pretrial suit at the court challenging the KPKs decision to name him suspect in an alleged graft case linked to the management of Hajj funds in 2012-2013.

Humphrey R. Djemat, Suryadharmas lawyer, pointed out that a team of lawyers filed the suit citing insufficient preliminary evidence to suggest his clients role as a suspect.

The team of lawyers also found abnormalities in the state loss estimates said to be caused by the alleged graft involving Suryadharma Ali, he added.

Djemat remarked that naming Suryadharma Ali as a suspect in the alleged graft case was illegitimate as it was done arbitrarily and unlawfully and was politically motivated.

The team of lawyers also stated that the KPK had named Suryadharma Ali before questioning witnesses and gathering evidences, he noted.

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.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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