KPK Reveals 2024 Hajj Quota Corruption Modus: Should Have Been 100 Per Cent Regular
Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has made sharp statements regarding the construction of the hajj quota corruption case that has ensnared former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. The KPK asserts that the additional 20,000 hajj quotas for 2024 represent the absolute right of regular pilgrims who have been waiting in queues for decades.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, stated that the reason the Saudi Arabian Government provided the additional quota was to respond to Indonesia’s hajj queue crisis, which has reached 47 years. “That 20,000 quota should have been for regular hajj quota. The reason for requesting it from the Saudi Arabian Government was because regular hajj pilgrims had quite a long queue,” Asep stated, as reported by Antara on Friday, 13 March 2026.
Asep outlined the chronology of obtaining the quota. In June 2023, Indonesia initially received a main quota of 221,000 pilgrims. However, through diplomatic lobbying in October 2023, Saudi Arabia provided an additional 20,000 special seats to reduce the waiting period for regular pilgrims.
The KPK highlighted allegations of a unilateral diversion of this quota that did not align with its original purpose. This became the entry point for investigating allegations of corruption involving Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and his staff member, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex.
The case, which began investigation in August 2025, has shown significant progress. Based on an audit by Indonesia’s State Audit Board (BPK) received by the KPK on 27 February 2026, state financial losses in this scandal reached IDR 622 billion.
Currently, investigators continue to examine the involvement of private hajj travel agencies in the distribution of the additional quota. The KPK is committed to resolving this case for the sake of transparency in the conduct of hajj worship in the future.
The KPK also stated that the chain of command in the alleged bribery case in the conduct and distribution of hajj quotas at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) is clear. The arrest of former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in the alleged hajj quota corruption case is deemed only an initial step, with the KPK being asked not to stop at the arrest of two suspects.
The KPK has characterised the hajj quota corruption by former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas as a tragic irony, with thousands of elderly pilgrims facing the prospect of being unable to depart because the queue has been bypassed. The KPK has seized assets worth more than IDR 100 billion belonging to the alleged hajj quota corruption suspect Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, ranging from millions of US dollars to land and buildings.
The KPK revealed allegations that Yaqut Cholil Qoumas received acceleration fees of up to IDR 84 million per pilgrim for special hajj. The agency also revealed the role of Gus Alex in the hajj quota corruption, with allegations that he instructed a Ministry of Religion subdirector to relax the T0 regulations. State financial losses have reached IDR 622 billion.