Role of Gus Alex in Demanding Acceleration Fees for Special Hajj Pilgrimage Without Queue
JAKARTA — The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed the role of Ishfah Abidal Aziz, alias Gus Alex, a former special staff member to former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, in the alleged corruption case involving hajj quotas for 2023-2024.
According to KPK Deputy for Prosecution and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu, Gus Alex ordered officials at the Religious Affairs Ministry (Kemenag) to demand acceleration fees from Special Hajj Organisers (PIHK) for expedited pilgrimage services.
The official instructed by Gus Alex was Rizky Fisa Abadi (RFA), former Head of Subsection for Licensing, Accreditation, and Special Hajj Management at Kemenag. RFA subsequently determined pilgrimage quotas for 54 Special Hajj Organisers, allowing them to depart immediately without queuing. RFA also granted preferential treatment to certain PIHK to fill additional special hajj quotas with special hajj pilgrims.
At Gus Alex’s behest, Rizky instructed his staff to collect funds from PIHK for accelerating additional special hajj quota allocations. Each pilgrim could depart immediately through additional special hajj quota provisions upon paying an acceleration fee of USD 5,000, equivalent to approximately Rp 84.4 million.
In 2024, Gus Alex communicated with M Agus Syafi’i (MAS), Director of Hajj Services at the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah, to devise a simulation scheme for regular and special hajj with a 50-50 division. This contravened Article 64, paragraph 2 of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage, which stipulated an allocation split of 92 per cent for regular hajj and 8 per cent for special hajj.
On that occasion, Gus Alex also directed the collection of acceleration fees for special hajj pilgrimage from PIHK. He ordered MAS to request sums from PIHK, which were ultimately passed on to prospective special hajj pilgrims, amounting to at least USD 2,500 (Rp 42.2 million) per pilgrim as fees, commitment fees, or other charges to obtain additional special hajj quotas, referred to as T0 or TX quotas.
KPK investigators have identified indications that Gus Alex’s actions were allegedly executed under the direction and knowledge of Yaqut. This assertion is corroborated by additional testimonies and evidence, including electronic and physical documentation.