First Trial of Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas Held Today

Former Religious Affairs Minister for the 2020–2024 period, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, was scheduled to undergo his first trial today in connection with an alleged corruption case involving Indonesia’s hajj quota for 2023–2024. The trial was held at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (11/8).

Central Jakarta District Court spokesperson Andi Saputra confirmed that today’s court agenda was the reading of the indictment by the Public Prosecutor from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). “Defendant Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, agenda for the reading of the indictment,” Andi told the media.

According to data from the Central Jakarta District Court’s Case Tracking Information System, the trial commenced at 09.00 WIB in the Muhammad Hatta Ali courtroom. The case will be examined and adjudicated by a panel of judges led by Presiding Judge Ni Kadek Susantiani.

Yaqut is not alone in facing the court. The KPK also transferred the case files of three other suspects for their indictments to be read in the same trial. They are former special staff to the Religious Affairs Minister, Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex; Maktour Operations Director, Ismail Adham; and former General Chair of the Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Tour Travel Association (Kesthuri), Asrul Aziz Taba.

This case originated from a KPK investigation that began on 9 August 2025. During the process, the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) released audit findings that discovered a potential state loss of a very significant amount, reaching Rp622 billion, due to irregularities in the hajj quota allocation.

The legal process against Yaqut was marked by a change in his detention status. On 19 March 2026, he was briefly transferred to house arrest at his family’s request. However, that status lasted only five days before the KPK returned him to the detention centre on 24 March 2026.

Furthermore, in this case, the KPK also imposed an overseas travel ban on the owner of the Maktour travel agency, Fuad Hasan Masyhur. Nevertheless, to date, Fuad has not been named a suspect in the case that has caused hundreds of billions of rupiah in state financial losses.