Prosecutors Say Yaqut Case Beyond Reasonable Bounds

JAKARTA — Prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have stated that the alleged corruption case involving Indonesia’s 2023–2024 hajj quota has gone beyond the bounds of reasonableness because it also affected citizens’ right to worship. KPK prosecutor Fahmi Idris said the case is not only suspected of causing state losses of Rp622.09 billion, but also has had a broad impact on the fulfilment of citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed rights.

“Namely Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees citizens’ right to carry out their most fundamental right to worship according to their religion and beliefs, as Muslims to perform the hajj pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca,” the prosecutor said while responding to the defendant’s exception during a hearing at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday (21/8/2026).

The prosecutor stated that this right had been seized by a handful of people to accumulate wealth and profit unlawfully by exploiting the high level of interest among Indonesians in performing the hajj pilgrimage.

According to the prosecutor, the trial will reveal a number of facts showing that the additional hajj quota, which was actually intended to reduce the waiting period for regular prospective pilgrims that had reached 41 years, was allegedly exploited by a small number of individuals.

This exploitation was allegedly carried out by giving opportunities to parties with financial means to perform the hajj without waiting in the queue, as long as they could meet certain requirements.

“One of them was by paying a sum of money greater than it should have been, known as an ‘acceleration fee’ to the Special Hajj Organisers (PIHK),” the prosecutor said.

In this case, Religious Affairs Minister for the 2020–2024 period Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is one of the defendants charged with causing state losses of Rp622.09 billion.

Yaqut is charged with diverting and arranging the allocation of the 2024 additional special hajj quota by 50 percent without any technical study basis.

In addition, Yaqut is charged with filling the 2023 and 2024 additional special hajj quotas with special hajj pilgrims without a waiting period (T0) and special hajj pilgrims with a certain waiting period (Tx) not in accordance with the established mechanism.

These acts were allegedly carried out by Yaqut together with his former special staff member Ishfah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex, Maktour Operations Director Ismail Adham, and former Chairman of the Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Travel Association (Kesthuri) Asrul Aziz Taba.

According to the indictment, the filling of the additional special hajj quota was carried out to accommodate requests from the PIHK association, accompanied by the receipt of acceleration fees from pilgrims and special hajj officers.

The state losses in this case are alleged to stem from the difference between PIHK revenue and expenditure for the 2024 hajj operation for special hajj pilgrims who should not have been entitled to depart, amounting to Rp438.22 billion.

In addition, there was PIHK revenue from the sale of the 2024 special hajj officer quota amounting to Rp39.95 billion, as well as acceleration fees for filling the additional special hajj quota in 2023 and 2024 amounting to Rp143.92 billion.

In the indictment, Yaqut is also named as one of the parties enriched by 271,500 US dollars, equivalent to Rp4.83 billion.

For his actions, Yaqut is charged with violating Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the National Criminal Code, or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Corruption.