IM57 Claims No Special Treatment for Detainees Like Yaqut at KPK Has Ever Occurred

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has granted a family request to place the suspect in the hajj quota allocation case, former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, under house arrest.

The younger brother of PBNU General Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf was previously reported to have left KPK custody to become a house detainee since Thursday (19/3).

News of Yaqut’s release from KPK detention emerged from a statement by Silvia Rinita Harefa, the wife of corruption extortion suspect and former Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan alias Noel, during her visit to her husband on Saturday (21/3). KPK later confirmed the information through its spokesperson.

In response, IM57+ Institute, founded by a former anti-corruption agency employee, criticised KPK’s decision to transfer the detention status of hajj quota corruption suspect Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

IM57+ Institute Chairman Lakso Anindito stated that KPK’s decision cannot be viewed as ordinary legal action under the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), as the special treatment appears to have been granted only to Yaqut.

He noted that in KPK’s history, there has never been such special treatment for a detainee.

“In KPK’s history, there has never been special treatment like this for anyone, especially without specific reasons such as the need for special medical treatment, which would still require hospitalisation,” Lakso said in a written statement on Sunday (22/3).

Lakso assessed that KPK’s action wounds the principle of equality before the law. Moreover, Yaqut’s suspect status has been further solidified after the South Jakarta District Court rejected his pre-trial motion.

“As per IM57+ Institute’s previous statement, KPK detention status is crucial to prevent any intervention in handling this case. Through this status transfer, the potential for intervention will increase significantly,” he said.

He stated that the real reasons behind KPK’s action need to be investigated. According to him, President Prabowo Subianto must safeguard KPK’s independence from all potential interventions by various parties.

Lakso warned against KPK’s action being influenced by Yaqut’s access to power.

“Independence will be destroyed when special treatment is imposed on corruption perpetrators through privilege. This will diminish public trust in corruption eradication not only by KPK but also by President Prabowo Subianto,” he said.

Call for KPK Ethics Council Intervention

In a separate statement, Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman mocked KPK for ‘breaking a record’ since its establishment in 2003. According to him, this is the first time KPK has approved a transfer from detention centre to house arrest based on a family request, not due to health reasons.

“KPK has the authority to detain, transfer, and suspend. And KPK has previously suspended detention for people who were ill, with always strong reasons,” he said in a statement to CNNIndonesia.com.

Furthermore, he added, even for health-related releases, it cannot be done solely based on a family request but requires strong medical evidence. He cited examples such as former Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, North Konawe Regent Aswad Sulaiman, and a mining businessman in West Kalimantan.

“If not detained, or if detention is later suspended to house arrest or whatever, it’s because they are genuinely ill. But in Yaqut’s context, which is not due to illness, I really don’t know the reason. So I say it’s a record,” he said.

Additionally, Boyamin questioned why KPK approved Yaqut’s house arrest secretly, only revealed to the public on Saturday from Noel’s wife’s statement. According to him, the KPK Law strictly regulates the principle of transparency, so the determination of suspects, detention, and non-detention must be announced to the public.

“Disappointed because it was done secretly. It damages the system and creates discrimination that will lead to similar demands from other detainees,” said Boyamin.

“KPK must re-detain him. And the KPK Ethics Council must investigate allegations of ethics code violations,” he added.

KPK’s Response

Meanwhile, KPK stated that Yaqut’s transfer to house arrest is only temporary.

Refuting claims of special treatment, KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said that all parties can actually apply for house arrest.

“Applications [for transfer to house arrest] can be submitted,” Budi told journalists in Jakarta on Sunday (22/3), as quoted from Antara.

Furthermore, Budi said, such applications will be reviewed by KPK investigators as the authority for detention lies with them.

“Next, it will be reviewed by investigators because the detention authority is with the investigators,” he explained.

It is known that Yaqut Cholil was named as one of the suspects in the alleged corruption case related to Indonesia’s hajj quota for 2023-2024 by KPK on 9 January 2026.

On 12 March 2026, KPK detained Yaqut at the KPK’s Red and White State Detention House branch after his pre-trial was rejected on 11 March 2026. The case is said by the Financial Audit Agency (BPK) of Indonesia to have caused state losses of Rp622 billion.

Yaqut’s release from KPK detention to become a house detainee was initially ‘exposed’ by the wife of corruption extortion suspect and former Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan alias Noel, Silvia Rinita Harefa.

Silvia conveyed this to journalists waiting for her after visiting her husband who was in KPK detention.

Silvia told the journalists that there was circulating information among the detainees about Yaqut Cholil not being seen in the state detention house or rutan.

“I didn’t see Gus Yaqut earlier. The info is, apparently he left on Thursday (19/3) night,” said Silvia on Saturday (21/3) afternoon.

She continued that she received information that Yaqut was also not seen during the Eid al-Fitr prayer on 21 March 2026.

When further confirmed whether only her husband