KPK Rejects Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut's Justification Regarding Additional Hajj Quota Allocation

KPK Rejects Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut’s Justification Regarding the Allocation of Additional Hajj Quotas

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has refuted the claims made by the former Minister of Religious Affairs during President Joko Widodo’s administration, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, regarding the equal distribution of additional Hajj quotas to ensure the safety of pilgrims.

KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that the principle of Hifzu an Nafs – protecting the lives of pilgrims due to limited space – as conveyed by Yaqut, does not align with the initial objective of increasing the Hajj quota.

“If we cross-reference it with the background, it is inconsistent,” said Budi at the Merah Putih Building, Jakarta, on Tuesday (February 24).

Budi explained that the additional Hajj quota was granted by the Saudi Arabian government to reduce the waiting list for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. However, due to the alleged unequal distribution of the quota, it instead led to a longer waiting list.

Referring to Article 64, paragraph 2 of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Organisation of Hajj and Umrah, the special Hajj quota is set at 8 percent of the total Indonesian Hajj quota.

The special Hajj quota consists of special Hajj pilgrims and special Hajj officials. The remaining 92 percent is allocated for the regular Hajj quota.

Yaqut issued a ministerial regulation governing the allocation of the quota, dividing it into 10,000 for the special Hajj and 10,000 for the regular Hajj (50 percent: 50 percent).

“The discretion exercised deviated from what should have been a maximum of 8 percent for the special Hajj quota, which was then significantly increased to 50 percent,” said Budi.

He added that the KPK team had also travelled to Saudi Arabia to directly inspect the availability of facilities for the Hajj pilgrimage. The results showed that the facilities were sufficient to accommodate the pilgrims.

“The facilities are also very adequate and good for the Hajj pilgrimage, so we believe that the reason given is not appropriate,” said Budi.

Previously, Yaqut explained the reason for issuing the ministerial regulation governing the allocation of additional Hajj quotas, with 10,000 each for the special and regular quotas.

“The only consideration I made when determining the allocation of the quota was Hifzu an Nafs, protecting the lives of pilgrims due to the limited space available in (Saudi Arabia),” said Yaqut while attending the initial hearing of the Pre-Trial at the South Jakarta District Court (PN), on Tuesday (February 24).

Yaqut, who is now a suspect, stated that the Hajj affairs fall under the jurisdiction of the Saudi Arabian government. He explained that the Indonesian government is bound by all regulations regarding the Hajj.

“The jurisdiction is there, we are bound by the regulations in Saudi Arabia, including the allocation of the quota, because there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which we use as a guideline, thus leading to the issuance of the KMA (Minister of Religious Affairs Decree),” he said.

Yaqut, along with his Special Staff, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex, have been named as suspects by the KPK in a case of alleged corruption related to the additional Hajj quota. However, neither of them has been detained.

The KPK has requested the Directorate General of Immigration to prevent Yaqut and Ishfah from leaving the country for another six months, until August 12, 2026.

During the ongoing investigation, the KPK has searched several locations, including Yaqut’s residence in Condet, East Jakarta, the office of a Hajj and Umrah travel agency in Jakarta, the home of a Ministry of Religious Affairs civil servant in Depok, and the office of the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Organisation (PHU) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Many pieces of evidence allegedly related to the case were seized, including documents, electronic evidence, and vehicles.

According to the KPK’s initial calculations, the case is suspected of causing state financial losses of more than Rp1 trillion. The KPK is still awaiting the final calculation, which is being carried out by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

(ryn/dal)[Gambas:Video CNN]