KPK Opportunity To Check Gus Yaqut Again After Meeting With The Hajj Organizing Travel Association Revealed

Former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas when he visited the KPK building (Tsa Tsia/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas or Gus Yaqut had the opportunity to be summoned again regarding corruption in quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion.

This was conveyed by KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo when asked about the examination of the former Treasurer of the Muslim Association of Hajj and Umrah Organizers of the Republic of Indonesia (Amphuri), HM Tauhid Hamdi, who was again questioned about his meeting with Yaqut today, October 7. He said that the information that had been collected would determine whether or not the former minister of the era of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) would be summoned.

"Of course, from today's examination, it will be analyzed later which parties are needed again to be summoned and questioned, including those concerned (Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, ed)," Budi told reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, September 7.

Budi said repeated requests for information were often made by investigators. This method is usually done to make light of the case being handled.

"If later the information is needed, then the KPK will summon it again to be asked for information to complete the statements that have been obtained from other witnesses," he said.

Meanwhile, Yaqut was examined as a witness by investigators from the anti-corruption commission on September 2. He was questioned for almost seven hours from 09.22 WIB to 16.20 WIB at the KPK office.

At that time, Yaqut did not specifically explain the investigator's examination. He only admitted that he had been presented with dozens of questions and had been answered.

Meanwhile, H. M. Tauhid explained that investigators were still investigating his meeting with former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. However, he claimed to never discuss the distribution of additional hajj quotas that turned out to violate the law.

"It is still around the deepening of the meeting with Gus Yaqut before the KMA (Decision of the Minister of Religion) falls, before and the gathering after he is no longer minister of religion," Tauhid told reporters after undergoing an examination at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, August 7.

Tauhid also denied intervening in the distribution of additional hajj quotas. He emphasized that all decisions were taken by the Ministry of Religion in this case, Yaqut as minister.

"50 percent of Gus Yaqut's authority, yes, the Ministry of Religion. We don't have intervention to determine the valid quota. We just do what, just meet normally," he said.

Previously reported, the KPK is investigating allegations of corruption related to quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). No suspects have been named for using a general investigation warrant (sprindik).

The generalized 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.