KPK Announces Maktour Operations Director and Former Ketum Kesthuri as New Suspects in Hajj Quota Corruption Case

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced two new suspects in the corruption case of determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) today. They are Ismail Adhan as the Director of Operational Maktour Travel and Asrul Azis Taba who is the former General Chairman of the Union of Tour Travel Haji Umrah RI (Kesthuri).

"KPK has again named two suspects, namely ISM as the Director of Operations of PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) and ASR as the Commissioner of PT Raudah Eksati Utama and also the General Chairman of the Kesthuri Association," said Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu to reporters through a press conference at the KPK Red and White Building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Monday, March 30.

Ismail and Asrul are said to have met with the former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and staff in particular, Ishfah Abidal Azis or Gus Alex to get additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government.

To carry out his desire, Ismail gave money to Ishfah as Yaqut's stafsus worth 30 thousand US dollars. He also gave money to Abdul Latief as Director General of Haji and Umrah (Dirjen PHU) of the Ministry of Religion with details of 5,000 US dollars and 6,000 US dollars.

"Meanwhile, the suspect ASR is suspected of giving a certain amount of money to IAA amounting to 406,000 US dollars," said Asep.

Asep explained that these two suspects were private clusters that played a crucial role in gaining profit.

"The determination of suspects in the development of the case of alleged corruption related to the Hajj quota that we conveyed today is from the cluster of private parties who have committed illegal acts and have a crucial role in the process of determining the allocation and filling of additional quotas, as well as the provision of kickbacks to the suspect YCQ as Minister of Religion at that time through his subordinates," he explained.

"KPK is still continuing to investigate and trace the roles of other parties, both in this cluster and in other clusters."

In this case, Ismail Adhan has already been questioned on Friday, July 29, 2025. However, the results of the examination at that time were not further conveyed.

Meanwhile, Asrul Azis Taba has also been questioned by KPK investigators on Monday, September 19, 2025. He was then asked about the departure of prospective pilgrims without having to queue and the mechanism for obtaining additional Hajj quotas for travel agents.

Asrul was then examined together with three other people, namely the Operational Manager of PT Zahra Oto Mandiri (Uhud Tour) period October 2024-now, Arie Prasetyo; staff of PT Anugerah Citra Mulia, Eris Herlambang; and financial staff of the Mutiara Haji Association, Achmad Ruhyadin.

As previously reported, the KPK has named the former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and former staff, specifically, Ishfah Abidal Azis alias Gus Alex as suspects in the corruption case of determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion. This alleged corruption began with the granting 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 allegedly unilaterally changed its composition. Using the maneuver of issuing the Minister of Religion Decree (KMA) which was not disseminated transparently, he 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.

Ishfah is suspected of arranging 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 charged to prospective special pilgrims. In 2023, the amount of fees set 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.