Muhadjir Effendy Questioned by KPK Regarding Former Interim Religious Affairs Minister Role
The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Muhadjir Effendy, has completed questioning by the KPK as a witness in the Hajj quota corruption case. Muhadjir was summoned due to his previous role as the interim Minister of Religious Affairs in 2022.
At the KPK building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Monday (18/05/2026), Muhadjir concluded his examination at approximately 19:42 WIB, having entered the interrogation room at 18:03 WIB. “That is all (the subject of the examination); I served as the ad interim Minister of Religious Affairs in 2022,” Muhadjir stated following the session.
Muhadjir noted that the investigators did not ask many questions during the session and maintained that the process was straightforward. “There weren’t many (questions), as I was only the ad interim minister for 20 days, from 30 June to 19 July,” he said, adding, “Everything is safe, safe, safe.”
He also addressed his previous request to postpone the examination. He decided to attend the session to avoid any negative perception of evading the investigation. The KPK had previously noted that Muhadjir had requested a postponement, which the agency had initially granted.
In relation to the Hajj quota corruption case, the KPK has named four suspects: former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (YCQ), former Special Staff to the Minister Ishfah Abidal Azis, also known as Gus Alex (IAA), the Operational Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) Ismail Adham (ISM), and the Chairperson of the Kesthuri Association, Asrul Azis Taba (ASR).
The KPK suspects that Ismail and Asrul provided funds to Yaqut, the former Minister, via an intermediary, Gus Alex. It is alleged that Ismail provided USD 30,000 to Gus Alex and also handed USD 5,000 to the former Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organising (PHU) at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Hilman Latief (HL). The KPK estimates the state losses in this case to be approximately Rp 622 billion, based on calculations by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK).