KPK Calls The Hajj And Umrah Travel Association A Role In Sharing Additional Quota From The Ministry Of Religion

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) revealed that the association of travel agents or travel agents for Hajj and Umrah played a role in the distribution of an additional 20,000 hajj quota from the Saudi Arabian government.

Acting (Plt) Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu said the travel agent for Hajj and Umrah did not just get an additional quota from the Ministry of Religion. The association is said to play a role in distributing it according to these business conditions.

"These travelers then join the association. So they are not alone," Asep told reporters quoted on Thursday, August 15.

This association, continued Asep, also communicated with the Ministry of Religion. After it was decided that the special and regular hajj quotas were divided byfactory percent, they then distributed it to its members.

This distribution is then considered problematic because the law states that the additional quota should be divided by 92 percent for regular Hajj and 8 percent for special Hajj.

"After that, the quota is decided, the distribution is 50 percent (for special Hajj, ed) 50 percent (for regular Hajj, ed) and the distribution through this association. So all associations are then distributed to all travel," said Asep, who is currently also the Director of KPK Investigation.

"Some get a lot, some get a little, and it depends on the size of the travel," he continued.

Furthermore, the KPK will also explore the fee that travel agents will then pay to get additional quotas. Based on the information they have, they are said to have to pay up to 7,000 United States dollars.

"How much is the fee, is it certain, we are calculating it. However, about the range between some per quota, yes, 2,600 to 7,000 (US dollars, ed). There are rough calculations, some have calculated 10,000 times that," explained Asep.

Previously reported, the KPK has issued a general investigation warrant (sprindik) for alleged corruption in the addition of quotas and the implementation of Hajj. This institution reasoned that the issuance was carried out so that they could make forced efforts.

"With this public sprindik, we are more free to collect evidence and also collect information so that it makes light of a case that we are currently handling," said Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu at a press conference at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Saturday morning, August 9.

The general Sprindik uses Article 2 Paragraph 1 and/or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2021 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. This means that there are state losses that occur due to this rasuah practice.

The state losses in the corruption case of quotas and the implementation of Hajj for the 2023-2024 period are said to have reached more than IDR 1 trillion and could increase. This figure arises because the distribution of an additional 20,000 Hajj quota from the Saudi Arabian government is carried out inappropriately, namely 92 percent for regular Hajj and the rest or 8 percent for special Hajj.

This division repeatedly referred to by the KPK is actually regulated in Article 64 paragraph 2 of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah. However, the quota is actually divided by 50 percent for regular Hajj and 50 percent for special Hajj.