KPK asks Kramat Jati Polri Hospital to immediately handle Yaqut Cholil Qoumas

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has asked the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, Jakarta, to immediately handle the former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas who is now being escorted because he has digestive problems. This request arose so that the next legal process in the corruption case for determining the quota and the implementation of the 2023-2024 Hajj could be continued immediately.

"We believe that doctors and medical teams will act quickly and professionally so that the suspect can recover immediately and return to the legal process," said KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo to reporters through his written statement, Friday, June 26.

Budi ensured that the bail for Yaqut did not mean that he could freely breathe fresh air. "Investigators are still monitoring the development of YCQ's health condition at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital," he said.

"All parties of course want the legal process of this case to run effectively. So that they can immediately provide legal certainty to the parties," he continued.

Yaqut is known to have been taken by the KPK to the Kramat Jati Polri Hospital since Wednesday, June 24. This process began with an examination by a doctor at the KPK Detention House (Rutan).

As previously reported, the KPK has named four suspects in the alleged corruption case for determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion. They are former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, former Special Staff to the Minister of Religion Ishfah Abidal Azis alias Gus Alex, Director of Operations of Maktour Travel Ismail Adhan, and former General Chairman of the Indonesian Republic of Hajj Umrah Travel Union (Kesthuri) Asrul Azis Taba.

The investigation began with the distribution of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas given by the Government of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia in 2023 and 2024. Based on Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah and the agreement of the Panja Commission VIII of the DPR RI, the additional quota should be divided with a composition of 92 percent for regular Hajj and 8 percent for special Hajj.

However, the KPK suspects that there has been a policy change through the issuance of a Minister of Religious Affairs Decree that divides the additional quota into 50 percent for regular hajj and 50 percent for special hajj. The policy was then implemented by easing the mechanism for filling the special hajj quota, which no longer fully refers to the national order number.

In the process, the KPK suspects that there has been a collection of fees from a number of Special Haji Organizers (PIHK) in exchange for the acceleration of the departure of pilgrims. The collection is said to be imposed on prospective special pilgrims with a maximum of 5,000 US dollars per pilgrim in 2023 and 2,000 to 2,500 US dollars per pilgrim in 2024.

From the results of the investigation, Ismail Adhan allegedly gave Ishfah Abidal Azis 30 thousand US dollars and 5,000 US dollars and 16 thousand Saudi riyals to the then Director General of Haji and Umrah Implementation of the Ministry of Religion, Abdul Latief. This act is suspected of making Maktour obtain an illegal profit of around IDR 27.8 billion.

Meanwhile, Asrul Azis Taba allegedly gave money amounting to 406 thousand US dollars. From this gift, eight PIHKs belonging to Kesthuri are said to have obtained illegal profits of up to Rp. 40.8 billion.

The KPK also suspects that some of the funds from the fee collection were prepared to condition the Special Committee (Pansus) for the DPR RI Hajj, which was formed in mid-2024. However, the alleged delivery was not realized due to the rejection of the party who would receive it.

As a result of the alleged actions of the suspects, the state is estimated to have suffered losses of up to IDR 622 billion. The KPK charged the suspects with Article 2 paragraph (1) and/or Article 3 of the Corruption Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.