Anti-Corruption Commission Detains Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut in Hajj Quota Graft Case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has formally detained former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in connection with corruption charges related to hajj quota manipulation.
Yaqut was detained on Thursday, 12 March 2026, following his examination at the KPK’s Red and White Building in his capacity as a suspect. He descended from the second floor of the examination room at approximately 6:45 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, wearing an orange detention vest with both hands shackled.
Prior to his detention, Yaqut had filed a pre-trial motion challenging his designation as a suspect by KPK investigators in the hajj quota corruption case. However, the South Jakarta District Court bench rejected the motion.
The presiding judge stated that the designation of Yaqut as a suspect met the minimum legal requirement of two valid pieces of evidence. According to Judge Sulistyo Muhamad Dwi Putro at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, the KPK had designated Yaqut as a suspect after gathering evidence of a criminal offence based on two pieces of evidence, marked T-4 through T-117, which were supplemented by evidence T-135 and T-136. The judge ruled that Yaqut’s designation as a suspect complied with the provisions of Article 1, Paragraph 31 of Law Number 20 of 2025.
The judge emphasised that pre-trial proceedings only evaluate the formal aspect of applications. The Constitutional Court’s Decision Number 21 of 2014 underscores that the designation of a suspect must be based on a minimum of two valid pieces of evidence. Pre-trial examination only assesses the formal aspect—whether at least two pieces of valid evidence exist—and does not enter into the merits of the case.
The judge dismissed several pieces of evidence submitted by Yaqut, determining them irrelevant as a legal basis. Among these were collections of news media articles relating to the case, which the judge found to be merely informational in nature.