Yaqut's Team Questions KPK's Claim of Rp 1 Trillion State Loss from Hajj Quota Scheme: Calculations Remain Unclear

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The lawyer for the former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Melissa Anggraini, stated that the financial losses to the state allegedly involving her client are unclear. Yaqut, who is now a suspect in the alleged corruption case concerning the allocation of additional Hajj quotas at the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), has been charged under Article 2 of the Law on Eradication of Corruption, related to unlawful acts, enriching oneself, others, or corporations, which resulted in financial losses to the state.

Melissa made these statements after accompanying her client in the initial hearing of the pre-trial at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday (24 February 2026). Melissa believes that her client was designated as a suspect by the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) without any detailed calculation of the financial losses to the state.

“We can see how the figures emerged; it was never clear, starting from one trillion, then 100 billion, and even they said it hadn’t reached that amount. The last time I accompanied Gus Yaqut at the BPK (Supreme Audit Agency), there was still no release of the calculation of the state’s losses,” Melissa said after the hearing.

Melissa believes that the KPK is only referring to the decision of the Minister of Religious Affairs regarding the allocation of additional Hajj quotas in 2024 as an unlawful act. “Until the end of the examination process of Gus Yaqut at the BPK, I can conclude that there was never any flow of funds towards him, either during the examination at the KPK or at the BPK,” Melissa said.

The panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court (PN Jaksel) decided to postpone the initial hearing of the pre-trial regarding the KPK’s designation of the former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, as a suspect on Tuesday (24 February). The postponement is due to the absence of the KPK. “Therefore, we will postpone it to 3 March 2026,” said Judge Sulistyo Muhamad Dwi Putro during the hearing.