Jakarta – Indonesian activists yesterday filed a police complaint against Religious Affairs Minister Said Aqil al-Munawar, accusing him of possible corruption over advance money paid by some 30,000 would-be pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

The group of activists, led by Mr Farid Faqih of the anti-corruption watchdog Government Watch, filed the complaint at national police headquarters, said police spokesman Sunarko Danu Ardanto.

"In the complaint, they indicated that the minister might have taken part in an act of corruption involving the funds of the 30,000 haj pilgrims. We are going to further investigate this case," he said.

Saudi Arabian authorities gave Indonesia a quota of 205,000 pilgrims this year. But the government, which organises travel packages at a cost of some 25 million rupiah per pilgrim, requested an extra 30,000 places and collected advance payments from the pilgrims – even though the extra quota had not been approved.

The equivalent of US$1.35 million has been collected from the 30,000 pilgrims in advance money. The minister has denied any wrongdoing.

The haj to Mecca is required of able-bodied Muslims at least once in a lifetime, if they can afford it. There have been calls for the travel arrangements to be privatised following this year's fiasco.