Al-Munawwar warned over accusations

Al-Munawwar warned over accusations

JAKARTA: Former religious affairs minister Said Agil Hussein Al-Munawwar was warned on Sunday that he could face libel actions over his moves to implicate a number of religious organizations and politicians in the haj fund scandal.

Al-Munawwar, who has been detained as a suspect in the scandal, has said that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah as well as a number of politicians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, social affairs minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung and transportation minister Hatta Radjasa, were among those who received a share of the funds.

Muhammadiyah secretary Armyn Gultom said such accusations by Al-Munawwar could lead to libel actions against him, and urged the former minister to desist from making the allegations.

Funds received by Muhammadiyah, the NU and other organizations from the Ministry of Religious Affairs were paid out based on a ministerial decree, Armyn argued.

"If there was a mistake, it's the mistake of the religious affairs minister who issued the decree," he insisted. --Antara