The Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) is investigating allegations of\ncorruption in the hajj quota distribution for 2023-2024. The KPK stated\nthat Saudi Arabia did not arbitrarily provide additional hajj quotas;\nfacilities for the extra pilgrims had been prepared by the Saudi\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
This was stated by Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Prosecution and\nExecution of the KPK, in a KPK podcast broadcast online on Monday, 9\nMarch 2026. Asep noted that Saudi Arabia had guaranteed these\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a country provides additional hajj quotas, it certainly must\nhave already prepared the facilities. It is impossible for the Saudi\nArabian government to provide additional quotas without considering\nwhether there are accommodation locations and other matters,\u201d Asep\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The KPK team also conducted direct inspections to Saudi Arabia\nregarding these facilities, including facilities for additional pilgrims\nfor the Arafah day (Wukuf), where space is limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor regular quotas, they can be placed even in zone five. And zone\nfive has already been prepared. Although the distance is indeed further\ncompared to zone one, it is farther away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, if more are added, especially to the special category, they\nwould be cramped in zone 1. This is what we found. And zone 5 has been\nrented for this purpose,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Asep stated that the additional hajj quota was given by\nSaudi Arabia to the Indonesian government. The quota was not given to\nindividuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hajj quota is given from the Saudi Arabian government to the\nIndonesian government. So this is G-to-G, not to a person, to a travel\nagency, but to the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ) had\npreviously explained the reason for dividing the additional 2024 hajj\nquota into 50 per cent regular and 50 per cent special quotas. Yaqut\ncited the safeguarding of pilgrim welfare as the basis for the\ndistribution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only consideration I made when determining the quota\ndistribution was hifdzun nafs (safeguarding life). Protecting the safety\nof pilgrims due to limited capacity in Saudi Arabia,\u201d said Yaqut after a\npre-trial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, 24\nFebruary.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd furthermore, we must understand that hajj falls under Saudi\nArabia\u2019s jurisdiction. So it is not solely the authority of the\nIndonesian government. The jurisdiction is there. We are bound by\nregulations in Saudi Arabia, including quota distribution because there\nis a memorandum of understanding,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
For context, the hajj quota corruption case concerns the distribution\nof an additional 20,000 pilgrims for the 2024 hajj quota during Yaqut\nCholil Qoumas\u2019s tenure as Religious Affairs Minister. The additional\nquota was intended to reduce the waiting queue for regular Indonesian\nhajj pilgrims, which could reach 20 years or more.<\/p>\n
Before the additional quota, Indonesia received a hajj quota of\n221,000 pilgrims in 2024. After the increase, the total Indonesian hajj\nquota for 2024 became 241,000. The problem arose when the additional\nquota was distributed equally: 10,000 for regular hajj and 10,000 for\nspecial hajj.<\/p>\n
However, the Hajj Law stipulates that the special hajj quota should\nonly be 8 per cent of Indonesia\u2019s total hajj quota. As a result,\nIndonesia utilised 213,320 quotas for regular pilgrims and 27,680 for\nspecial pilgrims in 2024.<\/p>\n
The KPK stated that Yaqut\u2019s policy resulted in 8,400 regular hajj\npilgrims who had already been waiting for over 14 years and were\nsupposed to depart after the additional quota in 2024 failing to do\nso.<\/p>\n
Following its investigation, the KPK designated Yaqut and his former\nstaff member Ishfah Abidal Aziz (IAA), also known as Gus Alex, as\nsuspects. The KPK confirmed it has substantial evidence from the\ndesignation of these suspects. Currently, Yaqut has not been\ndetained.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hajj-quota-scandal-kpk-reveals-saudi-arabia-supplied-facilities-for-additional-pilgrims-1773053571", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }