DPR Urged to Form Working Committee to Investigate Change to House Arrest for Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut under Jokowi
The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) has sent a letter to the House of Representatives’ Commission III to form a working committee for further investigation into the controversy surrounding the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) transfer of house arrest for former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.
The letter was submitted via the DPR RI’s online complaint website. MAKI Coordinator Boyamin Saiman believes that the DPR working committee is necessary as an external oversight for the KPK.
“The DPR working committee is still needed as an external supervisor so that as representatives of the people, it can be considered the superior of the KPK, which can cut the budget if the KPK’s performance is poor,” Boyamin said in a written statement on Thursday (26/3).
He also opined that although the Minister of Religious Affairs from President Joko Widodo’s era has been returned to detention, the incident of the covert house arrest transfer and other deviations by the KPK still requires a DPR working committee to fully depict the alleged deviations as well as recommendations for improvements.
“The working committee is needed especially to uncover allegations of intervention from parties outside the KPK, as also raised by Prof Mahfud MD in his social media post,” Boyamin said.
Furthermore, Boyamin stated that the Commission III DPR working committee is needed to complement the reporting to the KPK Supervisory Board that they conducted yesterday, Wednesday (25/3).
In the letter numbered 16/MAKI/III/2026, they assessed that there is a suspicion of special treatment towards the corruption suspect.
“The transfer to house arrest without strong objective reasons has the potential to create the impression of special treatment towards certain suspects,” he said.
Previously, MAKI reported a complaint regarding the alleged violation of the transfer of detention for the suspect in the Hajj quota corruption case Yaqut to the KPK Supervisory Board.
Boyamin revealed that several parties were reported, namely the KPK leadership as a whole, KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo, and KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu.
Meanwhile, the KPK has stated that the transfer of the detention status of the suspect in the alleged corruption case of the 2023-2024 Hajj quota Yaqut Cholil Qoumas from state detention house (Rutan) to house arrest has been in accordance with procedures and legal provisions.
“The KPK ensures that all processes and steps taken have been carried out in accordance with the mechanisms, procedures, and applicable legal regulations,” KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said when confirmed via written message, Wednesday (25/3).
Budi explained that the transfer of detention status followed up on the request from Yaqut’s family. Considering Article 108 paragraphs 1 and 11 of Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), the KPK granted it.
During the implementation of the house arrest transfer, the KPK also claimed to have conducted attached supervision and security for Yaqut.