KPK: Saudi Arabia Did Not Arbitrarily Grant Additional Hajj Quota, Already Prepared Facilities
JAKARTA — The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) stated that Saudi Arabia provided additional hajj quotas to Indonesia based on careful preparation and facility readiness, rather than arbitrarily.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Prosecution and Execution at the KPK, said that Saudi Arabia had prepared facilities for the additional hajj quotas.
“When granting hajj quotas, the Saudi Arabian government certainly does not do so carelessly. The Saudi Arabian government has surely assessed the situation and prepared the facilities there. It would not make sense to simply add quotas,” said Asep, as quoted from the KPK RI’s YouTube channel on Monday, 9 March 2026.
“So the Saudi Arabian government has already prepared the venues and other facilities for the additional quotas,” he added.
“For regular quotas, these can even be placed in zone five. Zone five has already been prepared. Although the distance is certainly further, particularly compared to zone one, it is much further,” he explained.
Asep further emphasised that the additional hajj quotas were granted by Saudi Arabia to the Indonesian government, not to individuals or travel agencies.
Previously, former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, who holds the status of a corruption suspect in the hajj quota case, claimed that Indonesia is bound by regulations from Saudi Arabia regarding the distribution of hajj quotas in 2024.
“We are bound by the regulations that exist in Saudi Arabia, including the quota distribution. Because there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that we used as our reference, and from this emerged the Religious Affairs Minister’s Decision (KMA),” said Yaqut at the Jakarta South District Court in Jakarta on 24 February 2026.
Qoumas claimed that the quota determination prioritised the safety of pilgrims due to the limited hajj quotas provided by the Saudi Arabian Government.
“The sole consideration I made when determining the quota distribution was hibtun nafsi, protecting the safety of pilgrims’ souls. Because of the limited space available in Saudi Arabia,” he said.