Investigators Still In Saudi Arabia, KPK Chair Asks The Public To Be Patiently Waiting For Hajj Corruption Suspects

Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Setyo Budiyanto. VOI/ Wardhany Tsa Tsia.

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Setyo Budiyanto does not want to talk much about parties who may be suspects in the corruption case in determining quotas and pilgrimages in 2023-2024 to the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). All of them will be submitted at the right time.

"Later that's the time. The task (challenger talks, ed) will be (announce, ed)," Setyo told reporters in the Yogyakarta Kepatihan Complex, quoted on Wednesday, December 10.

Setyo said investigators in this case were still completing their duties, even in Saudi Arabia to collect data and evidence. So, he asked the public to wait for the continuation, including the determination of the suspect.

Moreover, continued Setyo, the head of the anti-corruption commission also could not intervene in the ongoing investigation. Including, forcing the determination of the suspect to be carried out immediately without sufficient evidence.

Everything must be based on evidence, documents. When everything is considered sufficient, everything can be confirmed without any questions, without any intervention, the leadership and leadership have never intervened, everything will be in accordance with the way," he stressed.

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).

However, Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Ishfah Abidal Aziz alias Gus Alex who was special staff when Yaqut served as Minister of Religion, and Fuad Hasan Masyhur as the owner of the Maktour Hajj organizing bureau had been prevented from leaving the country some time ago.

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 quotas and the implementation of Hajj for the 2023-2024 period are said to have reached more than IDR 1 trillion. This figure arises because it started with the distribution of 20,000 additional quotas from the Saudi Arabian government to Indonesia in order to reduce queues.

However, the distribution was not in accordance with the rules because the Decree (SK) of the Minister of Religion which Yaqut signed divided the additional quota of 50 percent for special pilgrims and 50 percent for prospective regular pilgrims. In fact, the allocation according to the law should be 92 percent for regular pilgrims and 8 percent for special congregations.