Prosecutors: Yaqut's Hajj Quota Decree Backdated to Limit Pilgrims' Payment Time
Prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have revealed that the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia concerning the additional hajj quota for the year 1445 H/2024 M was signed with a backdated date. The decree was signed by the former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. The prosecution stated that this action resulted in eligible prospective hajj pilgrims not having sufficient time to pay their hajj fees, leading to state financial losses amounting to Rp 622,090,207,166.41 (Rp 622 billion).
This was disclosed by the KPK prosecutor during the reading of the indictment against Yaqut at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (11/8/2026). The prosecutor explained that Yaqut signed the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs (KMA) Number 1156 of 2023 concerning the Additional Hajj Quota for the Year 1445 H/2024 M. The content of this KMA was deemed to contradict Presidential Decree Number 6 of 2024 concerning the Costs of Organising the Hajj Pilgrimage for the Year 1445 H/2024 M.
“With the aim of accommodating the wishes of the PIHK [Special Hajj Organisers], on the same day the Defendant Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, without prior technical study, signed the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1156 of 2023 concerning the Additional Hajj Quota for the Year 1445 H/2024 M, the content of which contradicts the Presidential Decree Number 6 of 2024 concerning the Costs of Organising the Hajj Pilgrimage for the Year 1445 H/2024 M,” the prosecutor stated.
The prosecutor also noted that the KMA was inconsistent with the conclusions of the Working Meeting between Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs on 27 November 2023. In the decree, Yaqut divided the additional hajj quota for 2024, totalling 20,000 pilgrims, into 10,000 for the regular hajj quota and 10,000 for the special hajj quota. According to regulations, the distribution of the additional hajj quota should be 92 percent for regular hajj and 8 percent for special hajj, meaning the regular hajj quota should have been 18,400 and the special hajj quota 1,600.
“In the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1156 of 2023 concerning the Additional Hajj Quota for the Year 1445 H/2024 M, the Defendant YCQ stipulated the additional hajj quota for the Year 1445 H/2024 M as 20,000 people, divided into 10,000 people for the regular hajj quota and 10,000 people for the special hajj quota,” the prosecutor said.
In reality, the KMA Number 1156 was only signed on 9 January 2024, but the document was written as having been signed on 21 December 2023. The inclusion of a date that did not match the time of signing was done so that eligible prospective hajj pilgrims would not have sufficient time to complete their payments. “The inclusion of a date that does not correspond with the time of signing was carried out so that prospective hajj pilgrims entitled to make payments and obtain departure would not have sufficient time to pay the hajj fees, considering the payment deadline is set at a maximum of 30 days from the date the decree is stipulated. This Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs was also not disseminated and was restricted in nature,” the prosecutor concluded.