The Role of Gus Alex, Right-Hand Man of Yaqut, in Hajj Quota Corruption
The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed that Isfan Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex, a former special staff member to Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, played a central role in the alleged bribery case involving the management and distribution of hajj quotas at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). Gus Alex served as the right-hand man of former Religion Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas during the 2020-2024 period, acting as an intermediary in receiving money and orchestrating the bribery scheme.
According to KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo, addressing the media at KPK headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday 17 March, Gus Alex’s role in the hajj quota case was central—he functioned as a bridge for command flow and as a conduit for receiving money on behalf of Yaqut when he served as Religion Minister.
Budi explained that Gus Alex’s first role involved coordinating with hajj operators (PIHK) in Indonesia to distribute additional quotas. Additionally, Gus Alex negotiated and collected money to secure additional quota allocations. He communicated with various associations and hajj operators to absorb additional hajj quotas through a special channel, totalling approximately 8 percent of 8,000 quotas or around 640 slots. Gus Alex was also actively involved in collecting acceleration fees or T0 and TX payments from prospective pilgrims who wished to skip the queue.
In receiving payments, Gus Alex is suspected of representing Yaqut, and he also managed and purchased Yaqut’s needs using money derived from the bribery scheme. According to Budi, acceleration fees from the hajj operators allegedly flowed to Yaqut, Gus Alex, and other officials at the Ministry of Religion. For 2024, Gus Alex also played an active role.
Beyond domestic matters, Gus Alex communicated with the Saudi Arabian Government to facilitate the distribution of additional hajj quotas using an equal allocation scheme for both regular and special pilgrims. According to Budi, this task was based on Yaqut’s instructions. Originally, the additional quotas were intended entirely for regular pilgrims, in accordance with their original purpose when the Indonesian Government received the additional quota from the Saudi Arabian Government. However, Gus Alex allegedly intensely communicated with several Saudi Arabian officials, presenting the equal allocation scheme as though it were an Indonesian Government directive, when in fact this decision violated existing regulations.
Budi stated that Gus Alex carried out numerous tasks as follow-ups to the discretionary decisions made by Yaqut, including coordination regarding input on the e-hajj application system. In this case, Gus Alex also managed Yaqut’s intention to exercise discretion over the distribution of additional hajj quotas. The KPK also revealed that Gus Alex had associates who collected money from private parties.
For 2024, the value was substantially larger, as the additional quota amounted to 20,000 slots, with each acceleration quota commanding a fee of approximately USD 2,500 or around 40 million Indonesian Rupiah. The KPK emphasised that allegations against Gus Alex were based on strong evidence. All information possessed by the KPK would be disclosed during court proceedings for evidentiary purposes.
The KPK confirmed that the investigation into the hajj quota case would not stop at this point, but would continue with further developments as investigators continued to trace the roles of other central figures involved in hajj quota management and implementation. Investigations also continued by examining other witnesses, with detailed payment records to be disclosed during trial proceedings. KPK investigators are seeking additional evidence to strengthen the case against Yaqut and Gus Alex during trial. Gus Alex’s detention is important to accelerate the legal process and clarify the course of the case under investigation.
Although Gus Alex denied receiving Yaqut’s orders, the KPK stated that Gus Alex served as the minister’s representative in collecting money. The KPK has officially detained Gus Alex in connection with hajj quota corruption. KPK spokesperson Budi was unable to provide details on the progress of calculating state losses, as that data falls under the purview of the Financial Audit Board (BPK) auditors.
The case involves allegations of state losses totalling 622 billion Indonesian Rupiah from the 50 percent deviation of quotas that harmed regular pilgrims.