Minister plans to sue 'Tempo'

JAKARTA: The Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil al- Munawar is planning to file a lawsuit against Tempo magazine after the weekly published the results of its research showing Munawar's ministry as the most corrupt among government offices.

"The Ministry of Religious Affairs has filed a suit against the Tempo reporter who published the report," the minister said on Sunday in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

He also claimed that a similar research report by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) wrong to suggest that financial irregularities were rampant in the office.

"I object to BPK's report (that we are the most corrupt) because they have yet to match their findings with the latest financial report from the ministry," Munawar explained.

The ministry is the sole organizer of the annual haj pilgrimage, which each year sends over 200,000 people to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. --Antara