Hajj Quota Corruption Trial: KPK says Gus Yaqut evaded legal proceedings by claiming he had not received a letter naming him as a suspect
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said the case concerns the alleged corruption in the Hajj quota and that its legal team, the Biro Hukum, told the court during a pretrial hearing at the Jakarta Selatan District Court on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. They argued that the applicant appeared to be avoiding enforcement by stating that he had not received a letter establishing him as a suspect, as provided by the new KUHAP Article 90, and that the applicant seeks to erase a letter issued by the respondent since 2025.
The KPK noted that the investigation into the alleged Hajj quota corruption began with Investigative Order No. 61 dated 8 August 2025. According to the KPK, the legal process against Yaqut has proceeded in accordance with applicable law. In addition, Yaqut had already been examined before being named a suspect, with the hearings recorded in the Berita Acara Permintaan Keterangan (BAPK) dated 7 August 2025 and 1 September 2025, signed by Yaqut.
“Terkait dalil pemohon tersebut, Termohon tanggapi bahwa Pemohon telah diperiksa sebelum ditetapkan sebagai tersangka, yang dituangkan dalam Berita Acara Permintaan Keterangan tanggal 7 Agustus 2025 dan 1 September 2025,” the KPK legal team said.
The KPK also stated that it had conducted a gelar perkara (case review) with the Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK) at both the investigation and prosecution stages, as documented in the berita acara ekspos.
In its petitum, KPK asked the presiding judge in the pretrial to dismiss Yaqut’s application in its entirety or at least deem the application inadmissible. KPK also requested that the judge declare the suspect designation against Yaqut valid and lawfully issued, and declare the investigation into the Hajj quota case in order. “Menyatakan Termohon berwenang melakukan penyidikan perkara a quo. Menyatakan penyidikan oleh Termohon adalah sah dan berdasarkan hukum,” the KPK legal team stated.
Earlier, Yaqut’s defence counsel, Mellisa Anggraini, said her client had not yet received a letter establishing him as a suspect, but had received only a notice of the suspect designation.
“Kalaupun Termohon berpendapat tetap menggunakan hukum acara yang lama, maka timbul pertanyaan mendasar, mengapa sampai saat ini Pemohon tidak pernah menerima surat penetapan tersangka, dan yang diterima justru hanya surat pemberitahuan penetapan tersangka?” Mellisa said in her replication.
Mellisa also argued that a suspect designation prior to a clear calculation of state losses constitutes a deviation from the due process of law. She likened it to naming someone as a murder suspect without a victim having died.
According to her, the matters relating to the designation of the suspect and the sequence of investigations fall under the praperadilan court’s jurisdiction to test their legality. She urged the judge to reject all KPK exceptions and grant the pretrial application that had been filed.
The pretrial hearing in the Hajj quota corruption case is ongoing and awaiting a decision by the single judge.