Former Special Assistant Denies Orders and Corruption Funds Flow to Minister in Hajj Quota Case
JAKARTA — Ishfah Abidal Aziz, alias Gus Alex, a former special assistant to former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, has denied the existence of any orders or flow of funds to Yaqut in an alleged corruption case involving hajj quotas.
“There is none, there is none, there is none,” said Gus Alex as he was being led to a KPK detention vehicle on Tuesday (17/3/2026).
He also denied any flow of money to Yaqut. When pressed about parties allegedly providing him with money, Gus Alex reiterated that all his statements had been submitted to investigators.
When asked whether there had been negotiations from hajj travel operators in the matter, Gus Alex requested that the question be directed to the investigators themselves.
Gus Alex also refused to disclose the amount of money allegedly received in the case. “To the investigators and my legal team, my legal team,” he said.
“I respect the legal process that is underway. I have already conveyed much information. Hopefully we can find true justice and truth. Thank you,” Gus Alex added.
Gus Alex is suspected of acting as Yaqut’s representative in an alleged corruption case involving hajj quotas for 2023–2024.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Enforcement and Execution at the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission), stated that Gus Alex played a dominant role in collecting acceleration fees for special hajj pilgrimage services from Special Hajj Pilgrimage Operators (PIHK).
“GA was a special assistant to YCQ, so the officials there at that time considered what GA conveyed, as it was viewed as a representation of YCQ, to be YCQ’s orders,” said Asep in a press conference as cited from the KPK’s YouTube broadcast on Friday (13/3/2026).
“In other words, if I wanted to give money to person A and there was a representative of person B, I wouldn’t need to give it directly to A; I could just give it to B because that is the same as giving it to A,” he added.
Investigators believe the money collected by Gus Alex was allegedly intended to be handed over to Yaqut and used for various purposes.