KPK Prosecutor: Yaqut Prepared USD 1 Million to Influence DPR Hajj Inquiry Committee

Public prosecutor for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has stated that former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas prepared USD 1 million to influence the outcome of the House of Representatives’ (DPR) Special Committee (Pansus) of Inquiry into the 2024 Hajj. Converted at the current exchange rate of Rp 17,820 per US dollar, the sum amounts to approximately Rp 17,820,000,000 (Rp 17.8 billion).

This was revealed by the KPK prosecutor during the reading of the indictment against Yaqut at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta on Tuesday (11/8/2026). The prosecutor stated that the total state financial loss in this case reached Rp 622,090,207,166.41 (Rp 622 billion).

The prosecutor explained that the DPR formed the Hajj Inquiry Committee on 9 July 2024, driven by suspected non-compliance with Law Number 8 of 2019 on the Organisation of Hajj and Umrah, particularly regarding the distribution of Hajj quotas and governance deemed not transparent or accountable.

According to the indictment, Yaqut subsequently held a meeting at a hotel in the Pasar Baru area, Central Jakarta. The meeting was attended by the former Director General of Hajj and Umrah, Hilman Latief, Yaqut’s former special staff member Ishfah Abidal Azis, also known as Gus Alex, along with all special staff to the Religious Affairs Minister and echelon II officials within the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The prosecutor detailed that Yaqut arranged an additional Hajj quota for 2024 of 20,000 pilgrims, split equally with 50 percent allocated to regular Hajj and 50 percent to special Hajj. The meeting focused on formulating answers to anticipated questions from the DPR Inquiry Committee regarding this quota distribution.

Furthermore, the prosecutor revealed that Yaqut prepared the USD 1 million through his special staff members, Gus Alex and Muhammad Nuruzzaman, with the specific intent of influencing the results of the 2024 Hajj Inquiry Committee.

The Inquiry Committee eventually published a report concluding that there was suspected non-compliance with Article 64, paragraph 2 of Law Number 8 of 2019, which stipulates that the special Hajj quota allocation is set at 8 percent of Indonesia’s total Hajj quota. The committee issued five recommendations, including revising the Hajj and Umrah laws, establishing a more open and accountable quota system, strengthening state control over special Hajj operations, enhancing the supervisory role of internal government watchdogs, and urging the appointment of a more competent Religious Affairs Minister.