Lobbying From The Travel Association Allegedly KPK Becomes The Basis For Yaqut Cholil To Issue An Additional Hajj Quota Distribution Decree

DOC VOI

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspects that there is a lobby between the Hajj association and the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) which resulted in the signing of a Decree (SK) of the Minister of Religion regarding the distribution of additional hajj quotas.

Acting (Plt) Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu said the association that oversees various Hajj and Umrah trips contacted the Ministry of Religion. This process took place in 2023 or precisely after the Saudi Arabian government provided 20,000 additional Hajj quotas for Indonesia.

"So it's not individual for this travel agent, but they are members of the association. This association then contacted the officials at the Ministry of Religion to arrange how to make the quota that is included in the special quota bigger," Asep told reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, September 9 evening.

After the lobbying, Yaqut then issued Decree No. 130 of 2024 concerning the 2024 Additional Hajj Quota. Inside, Asep said, the hajj quota from Saudi Arabia was divided equally, namely 10.000 for special hajj quotas and 10.000 for special Hajj.

In fact, Asep said, the regulation contradicts Article 64 paragraph 2 of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah, which states that the hajj quota should be distributed 92 percent for regular quotas and 8 percent for special hajj quotas.

"Over time, a Ministerial Decree was issued, which deviated from Law Number 8 of 2018 Article 64. So the distribution was 50 percent. So, then from there it was distributed according to the Ministerial Decree," he said.

This process then makes the sale and purchase of special hajj quotas happen. Travel agents or travel agents are suspected of offering quotas with problems.

Asep also said that there were allegations that the Ministry of Religion received 2,600 to 7,000 US dollars for each quota given. "Well, it may be termed, if the sale and purchase actually there are goods, then sell and then buy, and this is not, the amount is not right," he said.

"This means how much A gets, it's up to those who have how much money. No. But this has been pegged like that, later it will just have to be collected through the travel agent then to the association. And later it will be collected again to the people or unscrupulous officials at the Ministry of Religion," continued Asep, who also serves as Director of KPK Investigation.

Even so, Asep could not specify who the Ministry of Religion was involved in in this case. This is because the investigation is still ongoing.

"What is clear is that there are indirect orders from whose leaders did not meet agents directly. So through some people as intermediaries like that, and we have also asked for information, such as there are special staff and others involving people like that," he said.

Previously reported, the KPK has issued a general investigation warrant (sprindik) for alleged corruption in the addition of quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024. This institution reasoned that the issuance was carried out so that they could make forced efforts.

The general Sprindik uses Article 2 Paragraph 1 and/or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2021 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. This means that there are state losses that occur due to this corrupt practice.

State losses in the corruption case of quota and Hajj for the period 2023-2024 are said to have reached more than IDR 1 trillion. This amount is still increasing because it is only the initial calculation of the KPK which continues to coordinate with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).