KPK Extends Travel Ban on Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and Gus Alex

Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has extended the overseas travel ban for two suspects in the hajj quota case, namely former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ) and Ishfah Abidal Aziz (IAA), also known as Gus Alex.

“That is correct, the KPK has extended the overseas travel ban for both suspects in the hajj quota case, Mr YCQ and Mr IAA,” KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo told journalists in Jakarta on Thursday.

Budi said the travel ban on both suspects was imposed in connection with the investigation into alleged corruption in the determination of hajj quotas and the administration of the pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religious Affairs during 2023-2024.

“That’s right, until 12 August 2026,” he said.

According to Budi, the KPK extended the travel ban for both suspects until Wednesday, 12 August 2026, though the extension does not apply to the owner of travel bureau PT Maktour, Fuad Masyhur Hasan.

Previously, on 9 August 2025, the KPK announced the commencement of an investigation into the alleged hajj quota corruption case and stated it was in communication with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to calculate state losses.

On 11 August 2025, the KPK announced that preliminary calculations of state losses in the case exceeded Rp1 trillion and imposed a six-month overseas travel ban on three individuals.

Those subject to the ban were former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex — a former special adviser during Yaqut Cholil’s tenure as minister — and Fuad Hasan Masyhur, the owner of hajj travel operator Maktour.

On 18 September 2025, the KPK suspected that as many as 13 associations and 400 hajj travel bureaux were involved in the case.

In addition to the KPK’s handling of the matter, the House of Representatives’ Special Inquiry Committee on the Hajj had previously stated it had uncovered a number of irregularities in the administration of the 2024 hajj pilgrimage.

The key issue highlighted by the committee concerned the 50-50 distribution of 20,000 additional quota places granted by the Saudi Arabian government.

At the time, the Ministry of Religious Affairs allocated 10,000 additional places for regular hajj and 10,000 for special hajj.

This was not in accordance with Article 64 of Law Number 8 of 2019 on the Administration of Hajj and Umrah, which stipulates that the special hajj quota should be eight per cent, whilst 92 per cent should be allocated to the regular hajj quota.