{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1927080,
        "msgid": "yaqut-denies-ordering-subordinates-to-trade-additional-hajj-quotas-1787061189",
        "date": "2026-08-18 20:07:47",
        "title": "Yaqut Denies Ordering Subordinates to Trade Additional Hajj Quotas",
        "author": "Andri Saubani",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has denied instructing his staff to engage in the buying and selling of additional hajj quotas from Saudi Arabia or to relax hajj regulations. Speaking after a hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court, he argued that the KPK indictment conflated ministerial policy with technical matters belonging to the directorate general. Yaqut contended the case should be handled by the administrative court rather than the corruption court.",
        "content": "<p>Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas claimed he\nnever instructed his subordinates to buy and sell additional hajj quotas\nfrom the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Yaqut also said he did not order any\nrelaxation of the rules governing the hajj pilgrimage.<\/p>\n<p>Yaqut made the statement after attending a hearing in the alleged\nhajj quota corruption case, with the agenda of reading the exception or\nobjection, at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday (18\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never ordered my staff to commit corruption, trade quotas, or\nrelax regulations. There was none. I never did that,\u201d Yaqut told\njournalists.<\/p>\n<p>Yaqut instead claimed he reminded his subordinates not to engage in\ncorrupt acts in every preparation and implementation of the hajj\npilgrimage. He said he had instructed that the hajj must always\nprioritise the comfort and safety of pilgrims.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I emphasised was actually the opposite. No corrupt acts are\nallowed, and every implementation of the hajj and its preparation must\nbe based on the comfort and safety of the pilgrims\u2019 lives. Full stop. No\nexcuses. And that was achieved. Alhamdulillah,\u201d Yaqut said.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Yaqut accused the KPK prosecutors\u2019 indictment of being\nimprecise and incomplete. He considered that the KPK prosecutors had\nmixed ministerial policy with technical policy that should be the domain\nof the directorate general.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMinisterial policy has been mixed up with technical policy that\nshould be the domain of the directorate general. So it has been directed\nto make the policy the Minister\u2019s fault. Whereas it should not be so,\u201d\nYaqut said.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, Yaqut said the alleged hajj quota corruption case should\nbe a policy matter handled by the administrative court, not the\ncorruption court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs was conveyed, our opinion is indeed that. This should be, the\nlocus is in policy. It is the policy that should be questioned. If\nsomeone commits corruption, a criminal act of corruption, then that is\nwhat should be processed,\u201d Yaqut said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yaqut-denies-ordering-subordinates-to-trade-additional-hajj-quotas-1787061189",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}