Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut After 3-Hour Questioning: I'm Tired, I Need to Rest
Suspect in the alleged corruption case concerning the 2023-2024 Hajj quota, former Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, admitted to being tired and needing rest after undergoing an examination lasting around three hours at the Merah Putih Building of the KPK, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (25/3).
Yaqut began the examination around 1:15 PM WIB.
“Alhamdulillah, the examination went smoothly. As for the details, please ask the investigators, not me. I’m tired, I need to rest,” said Yaqut before entering the detention vehicle at the KPK Office, Jakarta, on Wednesday (25/3) afternoon.
Targeting Other Parties
Confirmed separately, KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that the examination is a progressive step by the investigators, who are seriously accelerating the handling of the case to hand it over quickly to the public prosecutor (JPU) for trial.
“When this case enters the trial stage, the public can openly observe and scrutinise every fact that emerges in the trial,” said Budi.
The investigators, Budi explained, are delving deeper into the roles of Yaqut and his special staff, namely Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex (who holds suspect status), related to the mechanism of Hajj pilgrimage organisation.
In today’s examination, Budi revealed that the investigators also explored allegations of involvement by other parties in arranging the 2023-2024 Hajj quota. The KPK is open to pursuing legal action against those other parties.
“In the investigation of this case, the investigators will continue to examine whether there are still roles from other parties that have significant, crucial roles in the case related to the Hajj quota,” said Budi.
Yaqut and Ishfah are charged with violating Article 2 paragraph (1) and or Article 3 of the Corruption Eradication Law (UU Tipikor) in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) first of the Criminal Code.
In the construction of the Hajj quota case presented by the KPK on Thursday (12/3), this case also involves private parties. One mentioned is the President Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour), Fuad Hasan Masyhur. Evidence is suspected to have been destroyed when the KPK searched the Hajj and Umrah travel agency office.
Fuad, as the Advisory Board of the Silaturahmi Forum of Hajj and Umrah Travel Associations (SATHU), is alleged to have “lobbied” the Ministry of Religious Affairs regarding the acceptance of additional 2023-2024 Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian Government.
For 2023, there was an additional quota of 8,000. Based on the agreement between the DPR and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, this quota was allocated 92 percent for regular Hajj pilgrims (7,360 pilgrims) and 8 percent for special Hajj pilgrims (640 pilgrims).
The KPK stated there was an acceleration fee from Special Hajj Organisers (PIHK) for filling the additional special Hajj quota that received T0 (newly registered, directly departing) or TX (acceleration, not in queue order) worth US$5,000 or Rp84.4 million per pilgrim.
One method was diverting mujamalah visa Hajj pilgrims to special Hajj.
Based on the KPK team’s examination results, Yaqut, Ishfah, and several other officials in the Ministry of Religious Affairs are suspected of receiving these fees.
For 2024, Indonesia received an additional Hajj quota of 20,000 from the Saudi Arabian Government to cut the Hajj pilgrim queue that had reached 47 years. This was obtained during a meeting between the Indonesian and Saudi Arabian Governments in October 2023.
In a meeting with the DPR in early November 2023, Yaqut stated that Indonesia’s additional 2024 Hajj quota of 20,000 would be divided 92 percent for regular (18,400) and 8 percent for special Hajj (1,600).
Over time, Ishfah, on Yaqut’s orders, conveyed that the additional Hajj quota would be divided equally 50 percent for regular and 50 percent for special.
On Yaqut’s orders, Ishfah is said to have given technical instructions on the scheme or method of distributing the additional Hajj quota to appear not to violate Law No. 8 of 2019 on Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage Organisation, which stipulates that the special Hajj quota is set at 8 percent of Indonesia’s Hajj quota, and the majority is intended for regular.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs then held meetings with several PIHK association officials who are members of the SATHU Forum.
For the 2024 additional Hajj quota, the KPK suspects Ishfah directed staff in the Directorate of Umrah and Special Hajj Development and the Deputy Head of Licensing, Accreditation, and Special Hajj Organisation Development to collect acceleration fees and appoint someone to coordinate the fee money from associations and PIHKs.
The fee value was agreed at US$2,000 or around Rp33.8 million per pilgrim.
The KPK also revealed that Ishfah is suspected of ordering the Deputy Head of Licensing, Accreditation, and Special Hajj Organisation Development of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, M. Agus Syafi’, to request a sum of money from the PIHKs, which was ultimately charged to special Hajj candidate pilgrims at least US$2,500 (Rp42.2 million) per pilgrim as a fee or commitment fee or other costs to obtain the additional special Hajj quota, alias T0 or TX quota.
The giving and collection of this money occurred from February to June 2024.
The practice of requesting fee or commitment fee or other costs money from PIHKs charged to special Hajj candidate pilgrims in the special Hajj package price was also carried out in the 2023 Hajj organisation.
In filling the 2023 additional special Hajj quota, the requested fee was around US$4,000-5,000 (Rp67.5 million to Rp84.4 million) per pilgrim.
When information spread about the DPR forming a Hajj Special Committee around July 2024, Ishfah ordered the Deputy Head to return the collected money to associations or PIHKs.
However, some of the fee money is said by the KPK to still be stored and used for Yaqut’s personal interests.
The KPK stated that the money from the fee collection is also suspected to have been used to influence the Hajj Special Committee, which was known to Yaqut.