Anti-Corruption Commission Confident Court Will Reject Former Religion Minister's Pre-Trial Motion
The pre-trial motion filed by former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas regarding his suspect status in the hajj quota corruption case is scheduled for judgment on Wednesday. The Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) is confident the motion will be rejected.
“The KPK is naturally optimistic about the pre-trial hearing in this hajj quota case because we have ensured that the entire process we conducted was proper both in formal and material aspects,” said KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to journalists at KPK headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
Budi stated that all requirements for the investigation file have been fulfilled. He indicated that investigators possess sufficient evidence to designate Yaqut as a suspect in the hajj quota corruption case.
“We have complied with all applicable legal provisions, including establishing suspects based on sufficient evidentiary materials,” he explained.
Budi clarified that in the hajj quota corruption case involving Yaqut, the damages extend beyond state finances. The aggrieved parties also include prospective pilgrims who failed to depart as a result of Yaqut’s policies.
“Certainly we encourage the public to continue following developments in this case because when we discuss the hajj quota case being handled by the KPK under articles 2 and 3,” he stated.
“We see the case structure is not merely about state financial losses but also involves social impacts felt by society, particularly prospective hajj pilgrims,” he added.
For context, this corruption case concerns the allocation of an additional 20,000 pilgrim slots to the 2024 hajj quota during Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’s tenure as Religion Minister. The additional quota was intended to reduce queues and waiting periods for pilgrims in Indonesia’s regular hajj programme, which could reach 20 years or longer.
Prior to the additional quota, Indonesia was allocated 221,000 pilgrim slots for 2024. Following the increase, Indonesia’s total 2024 hajj quota became 241,000. The problem began when the additional quota was distributed equally—10,000 for regular hajj and 10,000 for special hajj.
However, the Hajj Law stipulates that special hajj quotas should comprise only 8 percent of Indonesia’s total hajj allocation. Indonesia ultimately utilised 213,320 slots for regular pilgrims and 27,680 for special pilgrims in 2024.
The KPK stated that Yaqut’s policy caused 8,400 regular hajj pilgrims who had already queued for over 14 years and should have been able to depart with the additional 2024 quota to instead fail to embark.
Following its investigation, the KPK designated Yaqut and his former special staff member, Ishfah Abidal Aziz (IAA) also known as Gus Alex, as suspects. The KPK confirmed it possessed substantial evidence supporting these designations. Yaqut remains un-detained at present.
Yaqut subsequently challenged his suspect status by filing a pre-trial motion in the South Jakarta State Court. The judgment hearing for Yaqut’s pre-trial motion will be held on Wednesday, 11 March.