TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali has withdrawn the motion for a pretrial hearing he has lodged earlier with the South Jakarta District Court. Court spokesman Made Sutrisna said the motion was retracted for revisions.
“We received the letter on the motion’s withdrawal yesterday,” Made told Tempo on Thursday, March 5, 2015, adding that consequently Suryadharma’s pretrial process filed with the case number 9/Pid Prap/2015/PN Jkt-Sel had been brought to a temporary halt.
Suryadharma retracted the motion despite the fact that the South Jakarta District Court had summoned Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials to appear before Suryadharma’s trial slated for Monday, March 16, 2015.
Made said Suryadharma would likely file the motion again after his lawyer completed the revisions. “That’s how we interpret the letter. But it’s up to them,” Made said.
The KPK has named Suryadharma as a suspect in the alleged embezzlement of hajj funds in 2012-2013 when he was still religious affairs minister. Besides filing a pretrial motion, Suryadharma also demanded the anti-graft body pay him Rp1 trillion in compensation money.
DEWI SUCI RAHAYU
