KPK Confident of Victory in Yaqut's Pre-Trial Hearing Tomorrow
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) expressed confidence on Tuesday in winning the pre-trial motion filed by former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. The pre-trial hearing regarding alleged corruption in hajj quota distribution will be held at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, 11 March.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that the designation of Yaqut Cholil Qoumas as a suspect complies with applicable laws and is supported by sufficient evidence. “We have complied with applicable legal provisions, including the designation of suspects based on sufficiency of evidence,” said Budi at KPK headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday, 10 March.
He explained that the requirements under Articles 2 and 3 of the Corruption Offences Law have been fulfilled. The KPK found that the alleged corruption in hajj quota distribution involving Yaqut Cholil Qoumas caused losses to the state and to hajj pilgrims. “We observe that the case structure involves not only financial losses to the state but also social impacts experienced by the public, particularly prospective hajj pilgrims,” Budi elaborated.
Yaqut Cholil Qoumas was designated as a suspect by the KPK earlier this year. Additionally, the KPK designated Isfan Abidal Aziz, Special Staff of the Religious Affairs Minister, as a suspect in the same case.
The alleged corruption case concerning hajj quota distribution originated from the provision of an additional 20,000 hajj quotas for Indonesia from Saudi Arabia at the request of former President Joko Widodo. The Religious Affairs Ministry, headed by Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, was supposed to allocate the quota at 92 per cent for regular hajj and eight per cent for special hajj. However, the quota was divided 50-50 between special and regular hajj. The KPK investigated travel agents and umrah organisers who allegedly benefited from the additional special hajj or furoda hajj quota.
Yaqut’s legal team has asserted that the KPK’s investigation procedure should follow the new Criminal Procedure Code provisions. His lawyers argue that the designation of Yaqut as a suspect by the KPK does not comply with proper procedures. The South Jakarta District Court is scheduled to hear the pre-trial decision on Wednesday, 11 March. Yaqut’s legal team presented five points of contention in the pre-trial hearing, ranging from the BPK audit procedure to the legality of the suspect designation.