Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Scheduled for Indictment Hearing Today
Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is scheduled to undergo his first hearing in the hajj quota corruption case at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (11/8/2026). The hearing will consist of the reading of the indictment by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) public prosecutor.
Yaqut will hear the indictment together with three other individuals: former Special Staff to the Religious Affairs Minister Isfhah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex, former Chairman of the Hajj and Umrah Travel Association (Kesthuri) Asrul Aziz Taba, and Operations Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) Ismail Adham.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the prosecution team would clearly explain the construction of the case based on the results of the investigation. Budi said the indictment would describe the series of events that formed the background of the alleged criminal acts, including the roles of each party allegedly involved in the case.
“The prosecution team will also outline the facts and evidence that form the basis of the indictment, including the alleged flow of giving or receiving sums of money as found during the investigation, as well as the charges against each defendant according to their alleged roles and actions,” Budi told reporters on Tuesday (11/8/2026).
The KPK stated that all explanations presented by the prosecution team in the indictment would be tested through the evidentiary stage in court. The KPK therefore invited the public to monitor the legal process in the case of Yaqut and his co-defendants.
The KPK guaranteed that the hajj quota trial would be held open to the public. This would allow the public to witness the proceedings directly and follow the legal facts presented before the panel of judges.
“All of these descriptions will later be tested in the trial process through evidence. Therefore, the KPK invites the public to continue to oversee and scrutinise the development of this case,” Budi said.
In this case, the KPK had previously named Yaqut a suspect together with former Special Staff to the Religious Affairs Minister Isfan Abidal Aziz (IAA), also known as Gus Alex. Yaqut is suspected of violating Article 2 paragraph (1) and/or Article 3 of Law No. 31 of 1999 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Corruption, as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001, in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code.
In developing the case, the KPK named two new suspects from the private sector on 30 March: Ismail Adham, a senior figure at Maktour and an associate of Fuad Hasan, and Asrul Azis Taba, chairman of the Hajj and Umrah Travel Association of the Republic of Indonesia (Kesthuri). Both are alleged to have played a role in arranging the distribution and filling of additional hajj quotas, including providing kickbacks to the Religious Affairs Ministry. Both were only detained by the KPK on 8 June 2026.