Banser Escorts Pre-trial Ruling Hearing for Yaqut at South Jakarta District Court
Members of Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), the semi-autonomous paramilitary wing of the Ansor Youth Movement, escorted the pre-trial ruling hearing for case number 19/Pid.Pra/2026 on behalf of petitioner Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, former Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, on Wednesday.
According to CNNIndonesia.com observations, Banser members were visible at the entrance to the South Jakarta District Court (PN). Their numbers were smaller than during the initial hearing on 24 February, when Yaqut attended the court in person.
However, many individuals at the court wore t-shirts bearing the inscription “Yaqut’s Friends”.
As of press time, sole judge Sulistyo Muhammad Dwi Putro was reading out the ruling.
Meanwhile, Yaqut’s legal counsel, Mellisa Anggraini, explained the reasons for Yaqut’s absence from today’s hearing.
“Because he had a prior commitment yesterday, perhaps he was exhausted, so he was represented by family. There was family from Rembang,” Mellisa said at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, 11 March.
Mellisa expressed optimism that the judge would grant their pre-trial motion in its entirety.
“We place our faith in God, we ask for prayers for the best outcome from the judge’s decision today,” she said.
Yaqut, together with his special staff member Ishfah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex, was named a suspect by the KPK in an alleged corruption case involving additional hajj quota allocations. However, neither has been detained.
Nevertheless, the KPK has requested the Directorate General of Immigration to prevent Yaqut and Ishfah from leaving the country for six months until 12 August 2026.
During the investigation process, the KPK has conducted searches at several locations including Yaqut’s residence in Condet, East Jakarta, the office of a hajj and umrah travel agency in Jakarta, the residence of a Ministry of Religious Affairs civil servant in Depok, and the office of the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Administration (PHU) at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Numerous items of evidence allegedly related to the case have been seized. These include documents, electronic evidence, as well as four-wheeled vehicles and property.
According to the KPK’s initial calculation, this case is alleged to have caused state financial losses of more than Rp1 trillion. The KPK is still awaiting the final calculation being conducted by the State Audit Board (BPK).