Prosecutors Reveal Minister's Decree on Additional Hajj Quota Was Backdated

Prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have revealed that the Minister of Religious Affairs Decree (KMA) Number 1156 of 2023 concerning the Additional Hajj Quota for 1445 Hijri/2024 AD was backdated. The decree was officially dated 21 December 2023, but prosecutors stated it was actually signed on 9 January 2024. The backdating was allegedly intended to ensure that prospective pilgrims entitled to the additional quota would not have sufficient time to complete their payments, as the deadline was set at 30 days from the decree’s date.

The decree pertained to the distribution of an additional 20,000 Hajj places. Under existing regulations, 92 percent of any additional quota should be allocated to regular Hajj pilgrims and 8 percent to special Hajj pilgrims. However, the KMA in question split the additional quota equally, assigning 10,000 places to regular pilgrims and 10,000 to special Hajj pilgrims.

Prosecutors stated that on 10 January 2024, Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas chaired a meeting in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where it was decided that the entire 10,000 special Hajj quota would be managed by Special Hajj Organisers (PIHK). This decision was made despite a subsequent working meeting between the Ministry and House of Representatives Commission VIII on 13 March 2024, which concluded that the quota distribution contradicted the earlier parliamentary agreement and the Presidential Decree on Hajj costs. The KPK estimates the manipulation of the quota allocation caused state losses of approximately IDR 622 billion.