So the Suspect, Ex-Stafsus Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, was Summoned by the KPK Next Week

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has scheduled a summons for the former Special Staff (Stafsus) of the era of Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Ishfah Abidal Azis or Gus Alex next week.

Ishfah Abidal has been named a suspect along with Yaqut Cholil in the corruption case for determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion.

"We have called the person concerned, yes, for next week. So just wait, yes, colleagues," said Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu when asked about the summoning of the former special staff Yaqut in a press conference quoted on Friday, March 13.

The KPK has revealed Ishfah's role in the case of determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 hajj. He is suspected of helping Yaqut in distributing additional hajj quotas that are not in accordance with the provisions.

In addition, Ishfah also asked officials at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) to ask for money to the Special Haji Organizer (PIHK) as a fee because they had been given additional quotas for the implementation of special hajj. The fee was eventually obtained by Yaqut as the Minister of Religion and Gus Alex himself.

However, regarding the exact amount of fees obtained by Ishfah as a stafsus and Yaqut, the KPK explained that it was still counting.

"What YCQ received is how much we are calculating in detail later, just wait. Then GA can also be calculated," said Asep.

As previously reported, the KPK officially detained the former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Thursday, March 12. This arrest was carried out after he was named a suspect in the corruption case of determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 hajj at the Ministry of Religion together with staff, especially Ishfah Abidal Azis alias Gus Alex.

This alleged corruption began with the provision of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government to Indonesia in 2023-2024.

Based on Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah and the results of the agreement of the Panja Meeting of Commission VIII of the DPR RI, the special hajj quota should be set at 8 percent of the total quota, while the remaining 92 percent is intended for regular hajj.

However, Yaqut as the Minister of Religion at that time was suspected of unilaterally changing its composition.

Using the maneuver of issuing a Minister of Religious Affairs Decree (KMA) that was not transparently disseminated, Yaqut divided the additional Hajj quota into a 50 percent scheme for regular Hajj and 50 percent for special Hajj.

Meanwhile, Ishfah Abidal Aziz implemented the policy by easing the rules for special hajj pilgrims.

He arranged for the filling of the remaining special hajj quota to be handed over to the proposed Special Hajj Service (PIHK) or travel agents. In fact, there should be an order of departure according to the national order number according to the law.

In return for these accelerated facilities, Gus Alex instructed his subordinates to collect illegal levies or fees from travel parties, which were ultimately imposed on prospective special pilgrims.

In 2023, the amount of the fee is pegged at USD5,000 or around Rp84.4 million per pilgrim.

Meanwhile, in the 2024 Hajj, the collection rate was agreed at least USD2,000 to USD2,500 per pilgrim.

The billions of rupiah from the collection of fees are suspected to have flowed into the pockets of Gus Yaqut, Gus Alex, and a number of other officials in the Ministry of Religion.

Then there is an allegation that some of the funds were deliberately prepared and used to condition the Special Hajj Committee (Pansus) which was formed by the DPR RI in mid-2024. However, a refusal was given so that no transfer by intermediaries would occur.

As a result of the actions of the two, the state is said to have lost up to IDR 622 billion. They were then suspected of violating Article 2 (1) and or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.