KPK Asks Yaqut To Respond To Calls For Alleged 2020 Hajj Corruption: Information Is Important

Former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) asked former Religious Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas to fulfill the investigator's summons on Thursday, August 7. The information is needed to shed light on allegations of corruption in the implementation of the Hajj which is still under investigation.

"The KPK certainly hopes that the person concerned can attend the invitation or summons, because the information concerned is very much needed in the investigation process," said KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo to reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Wednesday, August 6.

Budi explained that the Ministry of Religion had also been asked for information regarding this investigation. Based on the information gathered, those who have been examined by investigators include three employees with the initials RFA, MAS, and AM as well as the Director General of Hajj and Umrah (PHU) of the Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief.

So, Yaqut was asked to visit the anti-corruption commission office tomorrow even though there has been no confirmation until now. "In the process of investigating this case, the KPK has made requests for information to several parties, both from the Ministry of Religion, from Hajj and Umrah tour management agents, and several other parties suspected of knowing the construction of this case," he said.

"And of course the presence of the person concerned (Yaqut, ed) will be very much needed. So, in this investigation process we can then also get the information or information needed so that it makes light of this case," continued Budi.

As previously reported, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has signaled an investigation into corruption in organizing the Hajj at the Ministry of Religion soon entering a new chapter. This allegation is known to have been reported several times and dragged the name of former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

The Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu said this allegation stemmed from the request for additional Hajj quotas communicated between the Indonesian-Saudi Arabia governments. This step is to reduce the queue for pilgrims.

"This is to shorten, cut it, the quota must be enlarged, there must be more departing. Well, if I'm not mistaken 20 thousand, yes, 20 thousand," Asep told reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, quoted Friday, July 25.

The addition of quotas from the Saudi Arabian government was problematic. "There are rules that the quota is 8 and 92. If I'm not mistaken, please correct me, 8 percent for special Hajj and 92 percent for regularity," he said.

"But then it turned out to be divided into two, good luck like that," continued Asep.

This condition is then suspected to have made other parties benefit. In the search, continued Asep, investigators are still asking for information in stages, starting from Hajj organizers at the Ministry of Religion to travel agents or travel agents.

Investigators are then expected to call the highest peak at the Ministry of Religion or the Minister of Religion at that time, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. "We start with the organizers," said Asep.

"The organizers, ..., travel, yes. One of them was also yesterday checked here, the owner of the travel. That's why the final recipient of the quota before the community then used it," explained the Director of Investigation of the KPK.