KPK Signals Plans to Call Former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Thursday
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has signalled it will summon former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Thursday, 12 March 2026, regarding the continuation of the investigation into alleged corruption related to hajj quota allocation.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Prosecution and Execution at the KPK, stated that the summons would likely be issued at the end of this week. “We’ll see by the end of the week then. Thursday is part of the weekend, isn’t it?” Asep said at KPK headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday, 11 March.
He also clarified that the planned summons is not merely speculation. The KPK had already sent a summons letter to Yaqut the previous week. “When will he be called? The summons was issued last week for this week,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of arresting Yaqut, Asep explained that such action must meet several legal requirements, both formal and material. “There are formal and material requirements, as well as subjective and objective conditions related to detention. So we’ll wait and see,” he said.
The investigation began on 9 August 2025, when the KPK announced it had commenced an investigation into alleged corruption in the determination of quotas and the implementation of hajj worship at the Religion Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia for the 2023–2024 period.
Two days later, on 11 August 2025, the KPK revealed that preliminary calculations of state losses in the case exceeded Rp1 trillion. At the same time, the anti-corruption agency also banned three individuals from travelling abroad for six months. The three persons banned were Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, his staff Ishfah Abidal Aziz (also known as Gus Alex), and hajj agency owner Fuad Hasan Masyhur.
On 9 January 2026, the KPK designated two individuals as suspects in the case: Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and Ishfah Abidal Aziz. However, Yaqut filed a preliminary motion with the South Jakarta District Court on 10 February 2026.
Subsequently, on 19 February 2026, the KPK extended the travel ban for Yaqut and Gus Alex, whilst the ban on Fuad Hasan Masyhur was not renewed.
On 27 February 2026, the KPK received an audit report from the State Audit Board (BPK) regarding state losses in the case. Then on 4 March 2026, the KPK announced that the financial losses to the state in the alleged hajj quota corruption case amounted to approximately Rp622 billion.
Most recently, on 11 March 2026, the judge of the South Jakarta District Court rejected the preliminary motion filed by Yaqut regarding his designation as a suspect. Yaqut’s legal counsel criticised the judge for merely considering the quantity of evidence without assessing its quality in the alleged 2024 hajj quota corruption case.