4 Hajj Travel Bureau Witnesses Request Rescheduling of KPK Examination
Four witnesses from Hajj and Umrah travel agencies were unable to attend the KPK investigators’ summons on Tuesday (7/4). They have requested that the KPK reschedule their examinations. The four witnesses are Director of PT Agas Khaera Muti Hanana, Sri Agung Nurhayati; President Director of PT Al Amin Mulia Lestari, Unang Abdul Fatah; Director of PT Al Haadi Ziarah Ampel, Suwartini; and Operations Director of PT Alhijaz Indowisata, Dwi Puji Hastuti. “They did not attend and have requested rescheduling of their examinations,” stated KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo in a written statement on Wednesday (8/4). Meanwhile, regarding witness Christ Maharani Handayani, Director of PT Al Aqsha Jisru Dakwah and Director of PT Edipeni Travel, the KPK delved into the mechanism for filling special Hajj quotas sourced from additional Hajj quotas. Previously, on Monday (6/4), the KPK examined three witnesses: Operations Manager of PT Adzikra, Ali Farihin; General Manager of PT Aero Globe Indonesia, Ahmad Fauzan; and President Director of PT Afiz Nurul Qolbi (ANUBI), Eko Martino Wafa Afizputro. The KPK questioned them regarding the filling of quotas and allegations of unlawful gains in managing the 2023-2024 Hajj quotas. Two witnesses, Commissioner of PT Gema Shafa Marwa Tours, Ulfah Izzati, and Manager of the Umrah and Hajj Division of PT Abdi Ummat Wisata, Kurniawan Chandra Permata, confirmed they could not attend the examination. These examinations are to complete the case files for four suspects already designated by the KPK. They are former Minister of Religious Affairs of Indonesia for the 2019-2024 period, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas; Special Staff to Yaqut, Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex; Operations Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour), Ismail Adham; and Commissioner of PT Raudah Eksati Utama as well as General Chairman of the Kesthuri Association, Asrul Azis Taba. Yaqut and Ishfah have been detained at the State Detention House (Rutan), while Ismail and Asrul have not yet been detained. The KPK has identified more than 300 travel bureaus involved in the additional Hajj quotas. Several travel bureaus are hesitant to provide statements regarding the practice of buying and selling additional Hajj quotas. In handling this case, the KPK is using Article 2 paragraph (1) and/or Article 3 of the Corruption Eradication Law (UU Tipikor) juncto Article 55 paragraph (1) first of the Criminal Code or as referred to in Article 603 or Article 604 of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code juncto Article 20 letter (c) of the Criminal Code Law. These articles relate to losses to state finances. Based on calculations by the audit team of the Financial Audit Board (BPK) of Indonesia, the alleged corruption case in the 2023-2024 Hajj quotas is suspected to have caused state financial losses of Rp622 billion.