KPK Reveals Several Travel Agents Doubtly Reveal Practices of Buying and Selling Additional Hajj Quota

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed that there are travel agencies or travel agents for the hajj and umrah pilgrimage who are hesitant to provide information regarding the practice of buying and selling additional hajj quotas. This finding was obtained when investigators conducted an examination in the corruption case for determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 hajj at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag).

"Investigators see that there are several travel agencies that are still hesitant to provide straightforward information regarding the practices of buying and selling quotas (additional hajj, ed) carried out by travel agencies to prospective pilgrims," said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to reporters quoted on Wednesday, February 4.

The investigator, continued Budi, also saw that there were travel agents who organized special hajj (PIHK) who were hesitant to provide information about the money given to the Ministry of Religion.

So, Budi asked each cooperative travel bureau to provide the actual information to investigators. "We want to get explanations and information from each travel bureau so that we can become clear," he said.

"Not only the needs at the KPK but also the needs at the BPK (Financial Audit Agency) which is currently calculating the losses of state finances," continued Budi.

Furthermore, Budi said that there were around 300 PIHKs involved in the additional quota for the implementation of the 2024 hajj pilgrimage. All of them are needed.

"Why do we need one-to-one? Because it is a practice of buying and selling and the price is different, depending also on the facilities provided in Saudi Arabia so that in the series of investigations of this case we also conducted a direct check to Saudi Arabia regarding the availability of facilities for the Hajj in there. "

As previously reported, the KPK has announced two suspects in the corruption case for determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj period at the Ministry of Religion. They are former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and staff in particular, Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex.

The determination of the suspect was made later, because the KPK investigated the alleged corruption by using a general investigation order (sprindik) issued on August 7, 2025.

The Sprindik general uses Article 2 Paragraph 1 and/or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2021 jo article 55 paragraph 1-1 of the Criminal Code. This means that there is state loss that occurs due to this corrupt practice.

The KPK said that the state's losses in the 2023-2024 quota and Hajj management corruption cases were said to have reached more than Rp. 1 trillion. The suspicion began with the provision of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government for Indonesia to reduce the queue of pilgrims.

However, recently the distribution turned out to be problematic because it was divided equally, namely 50 percent for regular hajj and 50 percent for special hajj.

In fact, according to the law, the distribution should be 92 percent for regular hajj and 8 percent for special hajj.

Until now, the KPK has not detained Yaqut or staff in particular. This coercive effort is still waiting for the results of the calculation of state losses by the Financial Supervisory Board (BPK).