Corruption in Hajj Quota: Yaqut Extracts Fee of IDR 42.2 Million and Attempts to Influence Parliamentary Committee
JAKARTA — Former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas conducted a series of manipulations in the hajj quota corruption case, ranging from altering regulations to attempting to influence the Hajj Special Committee (pansus) of the People’s Consultative Assembly (DPR).
Indonesia received an additional hajj quota of 20,000 in 2024. Yaqut first relaxed the rules governing special hajj quotas before extracting money from special hajj operators (PIHK).
He instructed the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Services (PHU), Hilman Latief, to divide the additional hajj quota with a 50 per cent allocation to regular hajj and 50 per cent to special hajj. Hilman was also ordered to draft a memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the proposed additional hajj quota using a 50:50 split scheme.
Furthermore, Hilman was asked to prepare a simulation to serve as justification or basis for changing the composition of the additional quota to 10,000 regular hajj and 10,000 special hajj pilgrims.
In late December 2023, the Minister of Religious Affairs issued Decision Number 1156 on Additional Hajj Quota for the Hijri Year 1445/2023, which divided the additional quota equally at 10,000 each.
After the quota division regulation was issued, Yaqut instructed his special staff, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex, to demand acceleration fees for special hajj from PIHK operators. Following Yaqut’s direction, Gus Alex ordered Rizky Fisa Abadi (RFA), formerly a subdivision head for licensing, accreditation, and development of special hajj operations at the Religious Affairs Ministry, to communicate with PIHK.
RFA subsequently determined pilgrim quotas for 54 PIHK operators, enabling them to depart immediately without waiting in queues. RFA also extended special treatment to certain PIHK operators to fill additional special hajj quotas with special hajj pilgrims. At the beginning of 2024, Gus Alex established communication with the Director of Hajj Services at the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah, M Agus Syafi’i (MAS), to create a simulation of regular and special hajj schemes using the 50:50 split approach.