Selling Troubled Special Hajj Quota, KPK Will Check Travel Agents For Other Regions Outside East Java

KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo (Tsa Tsia/VOI)

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will examine travel agents or travel agents who are allegedly splashed with problematic special hajj quotas in the regions.

This was conveyed by the KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo who said investigators needed information from these travel agent entrepreneurs to clarify the alleged corruption of quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). A number of things will be explored, including the distribution of special quotas whose distribution is called problematic.

"How about the practice in the field, the distribution, well, the implementation of the pilgrimage by the Hajj travel agencies is in many regions. So that later it is also possible for investigators to conduct examinations of the Hajj travel bureau in other areas," Budi told reporters, Thursday, September 25.

Of course, the summons will be adjusted to the needs of investigators, said Budi. Moreover, a marathon examination is still being carried out on travel agent entrepreneurs in East Java.

"Currently investigators are still focusing on exploring the witnesses. Especially in the East Java region, these Hajj travel agencies," he said.

Previously reported, the KPK said that allegations of corruption related to quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) would enter a new chapter. In the near future, the suspects will be determined because the process is running using a general investigation warrant (sprindik) and announced.

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 number is still increasing because it is only the initial calculation of the KPK which continues to coordinate with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

This case stems from the provision of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government for Indonesia to reduce queues for pilgrims. However, the distribution turned out to be problematic because it was divided equally, namely 50 percent for regular Hajj and 50 percent for special Hajj based on the Decree (SK) of the Minister of Religion signed by Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

In fact, based on the law, the distribution should be 92 percent for regular Hajj and 8 percent for special Hajj.

Later, the distribution of problems was allegedly due to money from the Hajj and Umrah travel parties as well as the associations that oversee the Ministry of Religion. After getting the allotment, they sold the additional quota to prospective pilgrims.

During the investigation process, a number of parties have been questioned, including Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. Investigators have also searched his house and found documents and electronic evidence that are suspected to be related.