The BPK Team Joins KPK Investigators To Examine Witnesses In The Corruption Case Of Hajj Quota In Yogyakarta

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) invited a team from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to examine witnesses of alleged corruption in quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion. The request for information is said to be being intense in Yogyakarta.

Acting (Plt) Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu said the BPK team was involved in calculating state financial losses.

"Currently investigators and teams from the BPK are conducting joint investigations after returning from East Java to Yogyakarta," Asep told reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday night, October 21.

Asep said that currently investigators are simultaneously examining a number of travel agents or travel agents for organizing special Hajj services (PIHK) in Yogyakarta. "This includes last week and it will continue," he said.

Furthermore, Asep said that the Hajj travel agents that take care of additional hajj quotas are spread throughout Indonesia. Thus, investigators are very careful not to rush into work.

"The goal is that we will really do the calculation of the actual value of the state's financial losses, so check on the spot like that," said Asep, who also serves as Director of KPK Investigations.

The KPK examined six witnesses at the Yogyakarta Police on Tuesday, October 21. They are the Director of PT Saibah Mulia Mandiri, Siti Aisyah; Director of PT Wanda Fatimah Zahra, Mochamad Iqbal; and Director of PT Nur Ramadhan Wisata, Mifdol Abdurrahman.

Then the Director of PT Firdaus Mulia Abadi, Tri Winarto; Director of PT Hajar Aswad Mubaroq, Retno Anugerah Andriyani; and the operational manager of the AMPHURI office, Gugi Harry Wahyudi.

Previously reported, the KPK is investigating allegations of corruption related to quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). No suspects have been named for 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 number 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.

During the investigation process, a number of parties have been questioned, including Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. Investigators have also searched his house and found documents and electronic evidence that are suspected to be related.