Muhadjir States Hajj Implementation Must Not Contradict Saudi Arabia MoU
The former Acting Minister of Religious Affairs in 2022, Muhadjir Effendy, has revealed that the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage must not contradict the agreements established between the Indonesian Government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Muhadjir made these remarks when called as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors in the trial concerning alleged corruption regarding the 2023-2024 additional Hajj quota at the Corruption Court of the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday night (1/9). Alongside the former Minister, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, other defendants include his special staff member, Ishfah Abidal Azis (known as Gus Alex), and the Operational Director of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour), Ismail Adham.
During the proceedings, the prosecutor asked, “Do you know that the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage must be based on the MoU between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Indonesia?” Muhadjir responded, “Yes.”
Yaqut, the former Minister of Religious Affairs during President Joko Widodo’s seventh term, further questioned whether the Indonesian Government could perform actions outside of what was agreed upon with Saudi Arabia. Muhadjir, who currently serves as a Special Advisor to the President for Hajj Affairs, replied that such actions should not be possible.
Previously, following a hearing on 21 August, Yaqut stated that the Indonesian Government cannot unilaterally determine the distribution of additional Hajj quotas. He asserted that decisions regarding quotas must be based on agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the highest authority in Hajj administration, noting that the distribution was stipulated in an MoU signed with the Saudi Minister of Hajj on 8 January 2024.
However, the KPK has claimed that the Saudi Arabian side was indifferent to how the 20,000 additional quotas were distributed by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. This contradicts the defence of Yaqut’s legal counsel, who argued that the distribution was a result of a bilateral agreement.
The Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, stated that prior to the formal MoU, meetings were held to arrange a 50-50 split between special and regular Hajj quotas, a move allegedly pre-arranged. Taufik noted that the Saudi authorities were essentially indifferent to the internal distribution, provided the 20,000 quota was granted, suggesting the 50-50 arrangement was an internal arrangement by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The KPK prosecutors plan to call 303 witnesses in this case, with a verdict scheduled for December. Four individuals are currently facing legal action regarding the alleged corruption of the 2023-2024 additional Hajj quota, which is estimated to have caused state losses of approximately Rp622 billion, according to audits by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK).