Lawyer: There is no real and certain loss in the Hajj quota case
JAKARTA - The legal team of former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas touched on the calculation of state losses in the case of alleged corruption in determining quotas and the implementation of the 2023-2024 hajj. Yaqut's lawyer team said that the amount of state losses as conveyed by the KPK was not real.
This was conveyed by one of Yaqut's lawyers, Mellisa Anggraeni, at a trial at the South Jakarta District Court (PN), with the agenda of reading the reply, Wednesday, March 4.
"In addition, until this Answer Letter was submitted, we did not see a real and certain calculation of losses, including the absence of a date listed in the audit results when it was carried out or indeed it had not been completed," said Mellisa.
In fact, according to Mellisa, regarding the state's losses due to the Hajj quota case, it has not yet found a light, after the issuance of the Notice of Determination of Suspects to Yaqut.
"That by the issuance of the Notice of Determination of Suspects to the applicant, there is no evidence of a letter in the form of a report/calculation of state losses issued and declared by officials or authorized parties according to the BPK Law and Law 15/2004 and the provisions of Article 239 letter b of the new Criminal Procedure Code, which can be used as evidence that has relevance to the element of 'damaging the state's finances or the state's economy' or 'state losses', then the determination of the suspect against the Applicant by the Respondent does not meet the requirements and conditions for determining the suspect as stipulated in the provisions of Article 90 paragraph (1) of the new Criminal Procedure Code," said Mellisa.
As previously reported, former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas filed a pretrial to the South Jakarta District Court (PN) on Monday, February 10. The lawsuit was registered with the number 19/Pid.Pra/2026/PN.JKT.SEL.
The legal team for former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas considers the decision of the KPK to name his client a suspect in the corruption case of determining quotas and the implementation of the 2023-2024 hajj not valid. Yaqut's lawyer team also said that the investigation process against his client should be carried out based on the new KUHAP and KUHP.
"The conditions and terms for the determination of the suspect are not met. The procedure for determining the suspect does not comply with the provisions of the applicable criminal procedure law, and the authority of the Respondent in question in conducting the investigation and determining the Applicant as a suspect," said Mellisa in the trial.