Court Rejects Asrul Azis's Pretrial Motion, Corruption Suspect Status in Hajj Quota Case Upheld

The South Jakarta District Court has rejected a pretrial motion filed by Asrul Azis Taba, the General Chairman of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Tour Travel Organisers of the Republic of Indonesia (Kesthuri). The judge ruled that Asrul’s status as a suspect in the alleged corruption case involving hajj quotas is legally valid. The ruling was read out by Sole Judge I Ketut Darpawan during a pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday (6/7/2026). The judge declared the rejection of Asrul’s pretrial motion. “Adjudicating, rejecting the Petitioner’s pretrial motion. Ordering the Petitioner to pay court costs amounting to nil,” said Judge Ketut while reading the verdict. In his considerations, the judge stated that the evidence held by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) met the required standards. Therefore, the judge said, this strengthens the basis for Asrul’s designation as a suspect. “Considering that based on the matters outlined above, formally the Respondent has possessed four valid pieces of evidence according to the provisions of Article 184 of the Criminal Procedure Code as the basis for designating the Petitioner as a suspect,” the judge stated. The judge noted that the KPK possesses documentary evidence indicating a criminal act of corruption. Furthermore, the judge added, there is indicative evidence from the KPK in the form of electronic evidence. “The indicative evidence possessed by the Respondent is electronic evidence related to the alleged criminal act of corruption concerning Indonesia’s hajj quota for the organisation of the hajj pilgrimage in 2023 to 2024,” he revealed. The judge also dismissed Asrul’s argument regarding his detention due to his advanced age. “The judge does not agree with this matter. Even though the old Criminal Procedure Code does not specifically regulate detention for elderly suspects, the principle that elderly individuals require special services, facilities, and infrastructure according to their physical and psychological conditions must also be applied to the Petitioner,” he explained. As is known, all suspects in the hajj quota corruption case have been detained by the KPK. The details are as follows: 1. Former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ) 2. Former Special Staff to Yaqut, Ishfah Abidal Azis alias Gus Alex (IAA) 3. Operational Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) Ismail Adham (ISM) 4. Kesthuri Association Chairman Asrul Azis Taba (ASR).