Former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Placed Under House Arrest Seen as Sign of KPK Softening

Mon, 23 Mar 2026, 13:59 WIB | By Indriyani Astuti | Source: MEDIA_INDONESIA | Legal

A researcher from the Anti-Corruption Studies Centre (SAKSI) at Mulawarman University, Herdiansyah Hamzah, has criticised the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) decision to grant house arrest status to former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. He assessed that downgrading the detention status of the suspect in the Hajj quota corruption case has degraded the KPK’s prestige in handling extraordinary crimes.

The man commonly known as Castro warned of significant risks behind this relaxation of detention status. According to him, house arrest opens opportunities for the suspect to interfere with the ongoing legal process.

“The KPK must remember this is a corruption case. With house arrest status, the former Minister of Religious Affairs has the potential to destroy evidence, repeat his actions, or even flee. We never know,” Castro said when contacted on Monday (23/3/2026).

Castro stated that the KPK has long been known for having very strict standards in handling corruption suspects’ detentions. However, the leniency granted to Yaqut is seen as a signal that the KPK is beginning to slacken in law enforcement.

“The KPK has always been known for being strict in handling corruption. I’m actually surprised why now it’s loosening, allowing a downgrade to house arrest status. That’s something to be regretted,” he emphasised.

Furthermore, Castro highlighted the aspect of social injustice caused by this. If the reason for the detention transfer is not objective, it will become a bad precedent for other corruption suspects to demand similar treatment.

He reminded that the handling of corruption crimes should not be equated with ordinary general criminal offences. As an extraordinary crime, corruption handling must remain specific, strict, and uncompromising.

“This becomes a problem of injustice. There’s a situation where how can the former Minister of Religious Affairs be given a house arrest status downgrade while other detainees are not, even though some following other detainees might do the same. But in my opinion, this becomes a bad precedent,” Castro concluded.

The lawyer for former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Dodi S Abdulkadir, spoke out regarding his client’s detention status being transferred to house arrest.

The KPK assures that transferring former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’s detention status to house arrest will not disrupt the legal process in the 2024 Hajj quota corruption case.

KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that the change in detention status for former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas from detention centre to house arrest is temporary.

Former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is now under house arrest. ICW assesses this as highly risky due to the potential for evidence destruction in the Hajj quota corruption case.

ICW urges the KPK Supervisory Board to examine the anti-corruption agency’s leadership after transferring former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’s detention status from detention centre to house arrest.

Legal observers criticise the KPK for transferring Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’s detention to house arrest. This policy is deemed non-transparent and raises suspicions of special treatment.

Executive Director of Lingkar Madani (LiMA), Ray Rangkuti, criticised the KPK’s policy of granting house arrest status to the suspect in the Hajj quota corruption case, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

Chairman of Exponen 08, M. Damar, requested that the KPK Supervisory Board or other authorities immediately examine KPK officials who allowed Yaqut Cholil Qoumas to be placed under house arrest.

KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that the change in detention status for former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas from detention centre to house arrest is temporary.

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