Former Indonesian Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is under investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his alleged involvement in a scheme to manipulate hajj pilgrimage quotas, officials announced Thursday, March 12, 2026. The case centers around accusations that Qoumas improperly influenced the allocation of hajj quotas for private travel companies in exchange for financial benefits.
According to KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu, the investigation began with a letter from Fuad Hasan Masyhur, the head of the Forum of Silaturahmi Associations of Hajj and Umrah Travel (SATHU), requesting that travel agencies continue to receive special hajj quotas from additional quotas obtained by Indonesia for the 2023-2024 period.
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Rahayu explained that the issue of allocating additional hajj quotas in 2023 originated with Fuad’s letter, seeking a larger share to maximize the use of the additional quota. Indonesia had been granted an additional 8,000 hajj slots for regular quotas at that time. The investigation alleges that Qoumas then directed the allocation of these quotas in a manner that benefited certain travel agencies.
Initially, the additional 8,000 quotas were divided with 92% allocated to regular hajj pilgrims and 8% to special hajj pilgrims. However, Fuad reportedly communicated with Hilman Latief, the Director General of Hajj and Umrah, to explore the possibility of increasing the special hajj quota.
“FHM then communicated with HL regarding the SATHU Forum letter, stating that the Forum was prepared to maximize the absorption of the additional quota,” Rahayu stated during a press conference at the KPK building in South Jakarta on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Latief subsequently proposed to Qoumas that the additional quota be split 92% for regular hajj and 8% for special hajj, a proposal that differed from the conclusion reached during a parliamentary committee meeting. Qoumas then approved the proposal, issuing a Ministerial Decree (KMA) number 467 in 2023, dated May 19, 2023, establishing the allocation of the additional 2023 hajj quota with a composition of 7,360 for regular hajj and 640 for special hajj.
This proposal, based on Fuad’s initial request, was ultimately approved by the Indonesian Parliament. Following this approval, Qoumas, through his former special staff member, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex, issued a Director General of Hajj and Umrah decree in 2023, drafted by Rizky Fisa Abadi, a former Sub-Director of Licensing, Accreditation, and Special Hajj Management at the Ministry of Religion.
According to investigators, Gus Alex allegedly instructed Rizky to relax policies regarding special hajj applicants, allowing them to depart in the same year they registered, bypassing the standard waiting list. He also allegedly ordered Rizky to collect “acceleration fees” from PIHK (Private Hajj Organizers) for filling the additional special hajj quota, amounting to USD 5,000, or approximately Rp 84.4 million, per pilgrim. “One way to do this was by reclassifying visa mujamalah pilgrims as special hajj pilgrims,” Rahayu said.
The same pattern reportedly continued in 2024, with Qoumas allegedly accommodating requests for additional quotas for special hajj, again at the request of Fuad Hasan. The two reportedly met in November 2023 with several leaders of PIHK associations.
“The meeting discussed, among other things, the SATHU Forum’s request to manage a larger portion of the additional special hajj quota than the initial 8%,” Rahayu explained.
Following the meeting, Qoumas reportedly conveyed to Hilman Latief his desire to divide the additional 20,000 quota equally, allocating 10,000 for special hajj and 10,000 for regular hajj. “YCQ also asked HL to draft a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the proposal to divide the additional quota in half (50:50),” Rahayu stated. “Subsequently, YCQ ordered a simulation to be conducted that could be used as justification or a basis for changing the composition of the additional quota to 10,000 hajj regular and 10,000 hajj special.”
Qoumas allegedly received fees for the 2023 and 2024 hajj departures in exchange for agreeing to the quota allocation and expedited departures for special hajj pilgrims. For the 2023 hajj period, the acceleration fee from PIHK for filling the additional special hajj quota was USD 5,000, or Rp 84.4 million, per pilgrim, again facilitated by reclassifying visa mujamalah pilgrims as special hajj pilgrims.
“Based on the KPK team’s investigation, RFA also gave these acceleration fees to YCQ, IAA, and several officials at the Ministry of Religion,” Rahayu said.
For the 2024 period, the fee was reportedly agreed upon at USD 2,000, or approximately Rp 33.8 million, per pilgrim. The payment and collection of these fees occurred between February and June 2024.
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