JAKARTA, MCE – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has officially named former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, as a suspect in a corruption case regarding the allocation of the 2023-2024 Hajj quota. The announcement was made by the anti-graft agency on Friday (Jan 9, 2026).
"It is true; a suspect has been named in the investigation of the Hajj quota case," stated KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo in an official statement on Friday.
Prior to being named a suspect, Yaqut had undergone several rounds of questioning at the KPK headquarters. During those sessions, he remained tight-lipped regarding the details of the investigation.
"Please ask the investigators directly. Ask the investigators, okay? You can ask them later," Yaqut said briefly while leaving the KPK office. At the time, he maintained that he was being questioned only as a witness. However, following further development, investigators have gathered sufficient evidence to upgrade his status.
The core of the case involves the alleged misappropriation of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas granted by the Saudi Arabian government. The KPK suspects that the distribution of these quotas violated Indonesian law and bypassed the established priority for regular pilgrims.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, the Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution at the KPK, explained that according to Law No. 8 of 2019 on Hajj and Umrah Management, the quota must be distributed as follows:
- Regular Hajj: 92% (Should have been 18,400 slots)
- Special Hajj: 8% (Should have been 1,600 slots)
Investigations revealed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs under Yaqut’s leadership failed to follow these legal proportions. Instead, the ministry allegedly split the additional quota evenly.
"The regulations were not followed, which constitutes an unlawful act. Instead of the legal 92:8 ratio, it was split into 10,000 slots for regular Hajj and 10,000 for special Hajj," Asep stated. "This 50:50 split clearly violates existing regulations."
This policy is believed to have disadvantaged thousands of regular pilgrims who have been on waiting lists for years, in favor of the more expensive special Hajj category. The KPK is currently investigating whether there were any financial kickbacks or gratifications involved in this decision. (bp).
