MAKI urges Commission III of DPR to form working committee to investigate transfer of Yaqut's house arrest

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) has submitted a request to Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) for the formation of a working committee to investigate the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) transfer of Yaqut Cholil Qoumas to house arrest in the alleged corruption case concerning the 2024 Hajj quota.

MAKI Coordinator Boyamin Saiman, when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday, stated that his organisation’s corrective actions against the KPK continue, despite the agency having returned Yaqut Cholil to detention.

“In the youngsters’ terms, it’s not that easy, Ferguso,” Boyamin remarked.

According to him, although Gus Yaqut has been returned to the detention centre, the incident of the secretive transfer to house arrest and various other irregularities occurred, necessitating a DPR working committee to comprehensively examine the alleged deviations and provide recommendations for improvements.

“The working committee is needed, particularly to uncover suspicions of interventions from outside the KPK, as also raised by Prof. Mahfud MD in his social media post,” he said.

He added that MAKI had sent the letter requesting the formation of the Commission III DPR RI working committee that afternoon.

Additionally, MAKI has written to the KPK Supervisory Board regarding alleged ethical violations committed by KPK leaders in the transfer of Yaqut Cholil’s detention.

“Today, MAKI sent a letter to Commission III of DPR RI via the DPR RI website online channel. Yesterday (Wednesday), we reported to the KPK Supervisory Board,” he said.

“This Commission III DPR working committee is to complement the reporting to the KPK Supervisory Board,” he added.

In the letter, the main points of MAKI’s request include allegations that KPK leaders allowed the KPK to be intervened by external parties in carrying out the transfer of Yaqut Cholil’s house arrest and failed to report this intervention to the KPK Supervisory Board.

This allegation, he said, is based on the ethical jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court Honour Council (MKMK) decision dismissing Anwar Usman as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court for allowing and/or providing opportunities for external parties to intervene in the trial of Case No. 90/PUU/2023.

Another main point of the request is that KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that suspect Yaqut Cholil was in good health when his detention was transferred to house arrest (not due to illness).

This statement contradicts the statement from KPK Deputy for Enforcement Asep Guntur, who said Yaqut Cholil was suffering from GERD (gastric acid reflux) and asthma.

“The third point is the most important,” he said.

“In fact, only later did Asep Guntur state that Gus Yaqut was suffering from GERD and asthma,” he added.

It should have been the case, he continued, that Yaqut Cholil underwent a health examination before the transfer to house arrest, because if something happened regarding his health while under house arrest, it would become the KPK’s responsibility. It was later discovered that Yaqut Cholil suffers from GERD and asthma, which have the potential to be fatal.

MAKI also suspects that the detention transfer was not based on a collective collegial decision by KPK leaders, rendering it invalid and legally flawed.

“Thus, there are suspicions of violations of standard operating procedures and ethical codes in the transfer of suspect Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’s detention by KPK investigators,” he revealed.

Another main point of the request is that the detention transfer was exposed after Yaqut’s wife, Emanuel Ebenezer, revealed it due to journalists’ curiosity because they did not see Yaqut’s family visiting during Eid.

At that time, the KPK spokesperson stated that the transfer was not due to illness and that other detainees were allowed to apply for a detention transfer.

“On the other hand, the KPK also engaged in deception and secrecy during the release from detention, with the phrase that additional examinations would be conducted, which other detainees found odd because it was only two days before Eid,” said Boyamin.

He added that this decision on the detention transfer could lead to a crisis of public trust in the KPK.

“The decision to transfer detention without comprehensive explanation to the public can create negative perceptions and reduce public confidence in the KPK,” he stated.