Hanania Travel Director Admits Selling Cars and No Assets Amid Pilgrims' Refund Demands

JAKARTA - Director of PT Hanania (Hanania Travel), Ahmad Syah Farhan, is said to have admitted having no assets when pressured to refund pilgrims who were unable to perform umrah.

This was revealed by Ayu (44), a pilgrim from Cimahi, West Java, during mediation with Hanania Travel at the company’s headquarters in EightyEight Building, Tebet, South Jakarta, on Thursday (28 September 2026).

‘During questioning about assets, he said he had nothing left. We found out he had five cars, but claims they were sold. Then another pilgrim visited his home, but his family was gone, suggesting he might be preparing to flee,’ Ayu told reporters at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters on Thursday.

Farhan reportedly claimed the pilgrims’ funds were used to cover approximately 300 pilgrims stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a week during the February 2026 Middle East conflict.

Additionally, Farhan admitted the company operated on a ‘gali lubang tutup lubang’ (robbing Peter to pay Paul) system.

‘He said the money disappeared on its own. When asked, ’Is it robbing Peter to pay Paul?’ he confirmed, ‘Yes.’ So he used new pilgrims’ payments to send off previous ones,’ Ayu said.

Another pilgrim, Monica, stated Farhan was unable to send pilgrims to the Holy Land due to lack of funds.

‘The reason given was no money available, and the departure dates were unclear. It’s strange, no explanation,’ Monica said during the same session.

Monica reported losses of up to Rp95 million and criticised Farhan’s attitude during mediation.

‘It doesn’t make sense. He acts as if he’s not at fault, treating others’ money as trivial, and cannot provide explanations,’ she said.

The case came to light after hundreds of prospective pilgrims gathered at Hanania Travel’s headquarters at Kota Kasablanka Mall in South Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, demanding clarity after failing to depart on scheduled umrah trips.

During mediation, Farhan acknowledged the company could not send pilgrims, particularly for June and July 2026 groups.

‘For June and July departures, we have not been able to send them as scheduled. We understand the disappointment, fatigue, and anger from you all. But I am here to openly explain what we will do as part of our responsibility,’ Farhan said in a video.