Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Now Under House Arrest

The detention status of former Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag) and suspect in the Hajj quota corruption case, Yaqut Choulil Qoumas (YCQ), has now changed to house arrest.

“Indeed, the investigators have transferred the type of detention for suspect Brother YCQ, from detention at the KPK Detention Centre to house arrest, since Thursday night (19/3),” said KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to reporters on Saturday (21/3/2026).

Budi explained that the request for the transfer was submitted by Yaqut’s family. The transfer of detention is temporary.

“This transfer is based on a request from the family on 17 March 2026. Following the request, it was reviewed and approved considering Article 108 paragraphs (1) and (11) of Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code,” he stated.

The KPK stated that supervision will continue to be carried out on Yaqut while he is under house arrest. Budi assured that the detention transfer process complies with regulations and procedures.

“During the implementation of this detention transfer, the KPK will continue to carry out close supervision and security for the suspect,” he said.

“We assure that this temporary detention transfer process complies with the regulations and procedures for investigation and detention of a suspect,” he added.

Yaqut himself was designated as a suspect in early January 2026. Yaqut had challenged his suspect status from the KPK to the court.

However, Yaqut’s pre-trial lawsuit was rejected by the judge. The KPK then detained Yaqut on Thursday (12/3).

Subsequently, the KPK detained another suspect in this case, former special staff to Yaqut, Ashfah Abidal Aziz (IAA) alias Gus Alex. The detention took place on Tuesday (17/3).