House of Representatives Commission III Says Report to KPK Oversight Board on Yaqut's House Arrest is to Uphold KPK's Integrity

A member of the House of Representatives Commission III, Rudianto Lallo, has expressed appreciation for the actions of the Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI), Boyamin Saiman, who reported the KPK’s leadership, investigators, and spokesperson to the Oversight Board (Dewas). The report concerns the controversy over changing the detention status of former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ) from prison to house arrest.

Rudianto views the report not merely as criticism but as a form of public concern to maintain the integrity of the anti-corruption agency so that it does not collapse due to controversial policies.

“The report to the KPK Oversight Board is each person’s right. In my opinion, we appreciate the NGO that reported it. This is proof of love for the KPK, wanting to uphold the KPK’s honour so it doesn’t fall because of this policy,” Rudianto said when contacted on Wednesday (25/3/2026).

Although he acknowledges that changing detention status is allowed by regulations, this NasDem Party politician emphasises that the KPK’s action of granting house arrest status to a suspect in a major corruption case is highly unusual in law enforcement practice to date. This, he believes, is what has sparked the uproar and eroded public trust.

“I consistently voice that law enforcers, in making decisions, should not cause uproar or provoke public reaction. (The change in detention) does not violate regulations, but it is not customary. This is what lowers public trust in the KPK,” he stressed.

Rudianto also questions the KPK’s consistency in detention procedures. According to him, objective detention requirements such as concerns that the suspect might flee, destroy evidence, or influence witnesses should have been the main guideline from the start.

“If it was to be changed, why was he detained in the first place? This became contentious because the KPK itself initiated the detention, but the KPK itself ended it and made it house arrest. The public is wondering what is going on,” he added.

Regarding plans to summon the KPK by the House of Representatives, Rudianto stated that there is no official agenda yet due to the ongoing Eid al-Fitr holiday atmosphere. However, he welcomes the KPK’s step to finally return Yaqut to prison to end the existing controversy.

“In my opinion, with Mr Yaqut being detained again, this can end the controversy. The KPK must get back on track to investigate this case. I hope that with such great public attention, the KPK can learn not to provoke similar uproar in the future,” he concluded.

The Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI), Boyamin Saiman, has officially reported the KPK’s leadership, investigators, and spokesperson to the Oversight Board (Dewas) on Wednesday (25/3/2026). This report stems from the controversy over changing the detention status of the suspect in the hajj quota corruption case, former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, to house arrest.

Boyamin mentioned several crucial points in his report, including allegations of allowing external interference by the KPK leadership in the detention change process.

“The KPK leadership is suspected of allowing the KPK to be intervened by external parties and not reporting it to the Dewas. This refers to the jurisprudence of Anwar Usman’s dismissal from the Constitutional Court for allowing external intervention in case number 90,” Boyamin said after submitting the report letter on Wednesday (25/3/2026).

Boyamin highlighted the inconsistency in information between KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo and Deputy for Enforcement, Asep Guntur Rahayu. Boyamin assesses that the KPK conducted a secretive process when releasing Yaqut from prison two days before Eid with the pretext of additional examinations.

“The spokesperson said YC was healthy when transferred, but the Deputy for Enforcement said he had GERD and asthma. This is contradictory. Even Mr Asep Guntur is suspected of ordering the transfer without a health check from a competent doctor beforehand,” he emphasised.

Boyamin also pointed out that the revelation of the house arrest status was initiated by information from the family of Immanuel Ebenezer and media suspicions, not from KPK transparency. This is considered a violation of the principle of public information disclosure.

Boyamin suspects that the detention change was not decided collectively by the KPK leadership, thus deemed legally flawed and violating Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) as well as the code of ethics.

“There is an allegation of special treatment. The transfer to house arrest without strong objective reasons lowers public trust in the KPK as the frontline in eradicating corruption,” Boyamin stated.

KPK investigators are now delving into the role of significant parties behind the manipulation of the 50 percent hajj special quota distribution. See the full details.

MAKI reported the KPK leadership to the Oversight Board (Dewas) on Wednesday (25/3) following former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas being placed under house arrest.

The former Minister of Religious Affairs for the 2020-2024 period was examined in the alleged corruption case of hajj quotas and hajj worship arrangements that harmed the state by around Rp622 billion.

KPK immediately examined Yaqut Cholil Qoumas after he was returned to prison. The investigation into the Rp622 billion hajj quota corruption is being accelerated.

KPK has scheduled the examination of former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas today (25/3/2026) to delve deeper into the roles of other parties in the alleged hajj quota corruption case.

Detaining Yaqut is important to expedite the legal process and clarify the flow of the case being investigated.

MAKI urges the Attorney General’s Office to immediately conclude the legal process against Riza Chalid, including opening the option of trial in absentia.

In response to Nadiem’s party’s plans to report witness Jumeri to the police, Boyamin views this as a strategy to influence other witnesses.

According to him, for village apparatus positions other than secretary, bribery practices are also rampant with values in the hundreds of millions of rupiah.