KPK Finds Out Special Hajj Quota Sales Scheme For Additional Travel Agents

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will marathonly examine witnesses from travel agents or special hajj agents this week. Investigators will explore several things, including the process of getting quotas from additional 20,000 to buying and selling quotas between fellow agents.

"This is important to explore how the practices in the field are carried out by Hajj travel agencies," said KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo to reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, September 23.

Budi said the investigation related to the alleged corruption of the hajj quota was fairly complex. Thus, these travel agents will be questioned.

Investigators summoned five travel agents today at the East Java Regional Police. They are the President Director of PT My Brother, Muhammad Rasyid; Hajj Section of PT Menara Suci Sejahtera, RBM Ali Jaelani; Director of PT Al-Andalus Nusantara Travel, Siti Roofiah Zalfaaa; Director of PT Andromeda Atria Wisata, Zainal Abidin; and Director of PT. Dzikra Az Zumar Wisata, Affif.

"How or mechanism in obtaining a special quota of Hajj services then how is the process of buying and selling quotas," he said.

"Because the KPK suspects that the process of buying and selling quotas is not only carried out by travel agencies to prospective pilgrims, but there are also sales practices for this special quota of Hajj services carried out between travel bureaus. This scheme is being explored by investigators," continued Budi.

Previously reported, the KPK said that allegations of corruption related to quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) would enter a new chapter. In the near future, the suspects will be announced because the process is running using a general investigation warrant (sprindik).

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 corrupt practice.

State losses in the corruption case of quota and Hajj for the period 2023-2024 are said to have reached more than IDR 1 trillion. This amount is still increasing because it is only the initial calculation of the KPK which continues to coordinate with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

This case stems from the provision of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government for Indonesia to reduce queues for pilgrims. However, the distribution turned out to be problematic because it was divided equally, namely 50 percent for regular Hajj and 50 percent for special Hajj based on the Decree (SK) of the Minister of Religion signed by Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

In fact, based on the law, the distribution should be 92 percent for regular Hajj and 8 percent for special Hajj.

Later, the distribution of problems was allegedly due to money from the Hajj and Umrah travel parties as well as the associations that oversee the Ministry of Religion. After getting the allotment, they sold the additional quota to prospective pilgrims.