Hanania Group Boss Claims Rising Airfares as Excuse for Failed Umrah Pilgrimages

The President Director of PT Khazanah Tamma Internasional, also known as Hanania Group, Ahmad Syah Farhan (ASF), previously claimed that rising airfares due to the Middle East conflict prevented the departure of Umrah pilgrims. “One of the reasons provided by the suspect was the delay or changes in flight tickets. This is what the suspect stated,” said the Director of Criminal Investigation of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, Kombes Iman Imanuddin, during a press conference on Tuesday (2/6).

However, investigations have uncovered facts showing that the money deposited by victims was actually used for purposes unrelated to the Umrah departures, including paying influencers to promote Umrah packages. Furthermore, Iman revealed that Farhan had attempted to offer solutions to the victims before they took legal action by filing police reports. However, these proposed solutions did not align with the original departure contracts.

“Because the solutions offered did not match what was previously agreed upon and failed to materialise, the victims felt they were victims of fraud and embezzlement,” he added.

The police officially named the President Director of PT Khazanah Tamma Internasional, Ahmad Syah Farhan, as a suspect in the alleged fraud and embezzlement of Umrah travel funds on Friday (29/5). Farhan is currently in custody. In this case, Farhan faces charges under Article 492 of Law Number 1 of 2023 regarding the Criminal Code, and/or Article 486 and/or Article 607 of the Criminal Code.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the funds deposited by prospective pilgrims were used for interests outside of the pilgrimage process. Additionally, the suspect used the money to pay several influencers for marketing purposes to promote Umrah packages.