JAKARTA - Lawyer for former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Melissa Anggraini, confirmed that no flow of funds was revealed in the examination of her client at the KPK or the Financial Audit Agency (BPK). Yaqut filed a pretrial to the Jakarta District Court regarding the formal defect in the determination of the status of the suspect.
"One conclusion I can say is that there has never been any flow of funds to him, both in the KPK's investigation and in the BPK," said Melissa, Tuesday, February 24.
Through the preliminary trial, the lawyer hopes that the single judge, Sulistyo Muhammad Dwi Putro, can examine the case clearly and procedurally. According to him, the determination of suspects by the KPK is a coercive attempt that is not in line with the provisions in the latest Criminal Procedure Code.
"How great is the effect of the determination of the suspect if law enforcement does not adhere to the procedures set out in the law," he said.
In her presentation, Melissa explained the issue that was being questioned by the KPK related to the Decree of the Minister of Religion (KMA) Number 130. According to him, in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Saudi authorities, the final decision was in the hands of the Saudis as the ultimate authority.
In addition, he explained that the special hajj quota was only around 27 thousand or around 11 percent of the total quota, not 50 percent as often sung. This figure, he said, is related to additional quotas with limited capacity.
Therefore, Mellisa asked the KPK to present the Saudi Arabia and the relevant religious ministers in the trial process, considering that the issue is related to the bilateral MoU.
"Those who publicly say that if they get an additional quota of 20 thousand, they want to be placed where the pilgrims are," he said. The pretrial hearing is scheduled to resume on March 3, 2026.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
