JAKARTA \u2014 Ishfah Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex, the former special\nstaff member of ex-Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, has been\nsummoned by the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) as a suspect on\nTuesday, 17 March 2026, regarding allegations of corruption in the\n2023-2024 hajj quota scheme.<\/p>\n
The KPK believes that Gus Alex will cooperate and respond to the\ninvestigator\u2019s summons relating to the alleged hajj quota corruption\ncase. \u201cToday on Tuesday, investigators have scheduled an examination of\nIAA, who served as Special Staff to the Religion Minister from 2020 to\n2024,\u201d said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Asep Guntur Rahayu, KPK\u2019s Deputy for Enforcement and Execution,\nrevealed that Gus Alex\u2019s role involved ordering Religion Ministry\nofficials to collect acceleration fees for special hajj pilgrimage from\nSpecial Hajj Organisers (PIHK).<\/p>\n
The official ordered by Gus Alex was Rizky Fisa Abadi, the former\nSub-director of Licensing, Accreditation, and Special Hajj Organisation\nDevelopment at the Religion Ministry. In 2023, Gus Alex also allegedly\nordered Rizky to issue a Directorate General of Hajj Organisation decree\nregarding expedited pilgrim departures without queuing through the\nspecial hajj quota.<\/p>\n
\u201cRFA then determined the pilgrim quota for 54 PIHK so pilgrims could\ndepart immediately without queuing. RFA also granted special treatment\nto certain PIHK to fill additional special hajj quotas with special hajj\npilgrims,\u201d Asep stated during a press conference on Thursday, 12 March\n2026 evening.<\/p>\n
Each pilgrim could depart directly through the additional special\nhajj quota upon paying an acceleration fee of USD 5,000, approximately\n84.4 million rupiah. One method of collecting this fee involved\nconverting regular visa hajj pilgrims into special hajj pilgrims.<\/p>\n
This practice contravened Article 64(2) of Law No.\u00a08 of 2019\nconcerning the Organisation of Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage, which\nstipulates that the additional hajj quota should be allocated 92 per\ncent for regular hajj and 8 per cent for special hajj.<\/p>\n
During this period, Gus Alex also allegedly ordered the collection of\nacceleration fees for special hajj pilgrimage from the PIHK. \u201cIAA\nordered Saudara MAS to collect money from the PIHK, which was ultimately\ncharged to prospective special hajj pilgrims, no less than USD 2,500\n(approximately 42.2 million rupiah) per pilgrim as a fee or commitment\nfee or other charges, in order to obtain additional special hajj quotas,\nalso known as T0 or TX quotas,\u201d Asep said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/suspect-gus-alex-summoned-by-anti-corruption-commission-today-in-hajj-quota-case-1773726748", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }