KPK States Gus Alex Directed Religious Affairs Subdirector to Relax Hajj Policy
Jakarta — The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has stated that Ishfah Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex (IAA), serving as special staff to Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ), directed the head of a Religious Affairs ministry subdirectorate to relax policy concerning T0, or newly registered prospective pilgrims departing immediately for hajj.
“A 2023 Decree of the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah (Direktur Jenderal Penyelenggaraan Haji dan Umrah) was issued, drafted by RFA as head of the Licensing, Accreditation, and Pilgrimage Facilitation Subdirectorate of the Religious Affairs Ministry, at IAA’s direction to relax T0 policy,” stated KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu at a press conference in Jakarta on Friday.
Asep explained that the Directorate General decree represented a follow-up to Religious Affairs Minister Decision Number 467 of 2023 concerning the establishment of additional hajj quota for 2023, which had already been agreed upon jointly with Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
The additional 2023 hajj quota totalled 8,000, divided into 7,360 for regular hajj and 640 for special hajj.
Previously, on 9 August 2025, the KPK announced it had begun investigating alleged corruption regarding Indonesia’s hajj quota for 2023-2024. On 11 August 2025, the KPK announced an initial state loss calculation in the case exceeding Rp1 trillion, and prevented three persons from travelling abroad for up to six months. Those prevented were Yaqut, Ishfah Abidal Aziz (IAA) alias Gus Alex as Yaqut’s staff, and Fuad Hasan Masyhur as owner of hajj organising bureau Maktour.
On 9 January 2026, the KPK announced that two of the three prevented persons became suspects in the alleged hajj quota corruption case: Yaqut and Gus Alex. However, Yaqut filed a pre-trial motion challenging his designation as a suspect to the South Jakarta District Court on 10 February 2026, registered under case number 19/Pid.Pra/2026/PN JKT.SEL.
On 19 February 2026, the KPK announced the extension of the foreign travel ban solely for Yaqut and Gus Alex, with Fuad’s ban not extended. On 27 February 2026, the KPK announced it had received an audit from the State Audit Board (BPK) RI regarding state financial losses from the hajj quota case. On 4 March 2026, the KPK announced that state financial losses from the case totalled Rp622 billion.
On 11 March 2026, the South Jakarta District Court panel of judges rejected Yaqut’s pre-trial motion. On 12 March 2026, the KPK detained Yaqut at the State Detention Centre, Red and White Building Branch of the KPK.