Asep Guntur Soal Polemik Alih Status Tahanan Eks Menag Yaqut: Strategi Kebut Penanganan Kasus Kuota Haji

Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

JAKARTA - Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Asep Guntur Rahayu said the transfer of the status of detention of former Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas as a strategy for investigating the corruption case of determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion.

The controversy that occurred in the community, Asep said, was one of the ammunition to accelerate the handling of the case. This has also been mapped through the leadership meeting.

"It is a strategy related to the investigation, especially how we can get acceleration in handling this case. And one of them is of course public support, yes, which we really hope for," Asep told reporters at the KPK's Red and White building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Thursday, March 26.

Asep further explained that the change in Yaqut's detention status was a decision of the institution, not an individual. The leadership was said to have attended the meeting and affixed the signature of approval for the transfer of status from house detention (prison) to house detention.

However, Asep did not want to elaborate further on the process because everything would be opened if the KPK Supervisory Board (Dewas) decided to follow up on public reports related to this controversy.

The controversy over the change in Yaqut's detention status was reported to the KPK Supervisory Board by the Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman on Wednesday, March 26.

"I attended the meeting in that regard, I was one of those who attended the meeting there. So later this will also be conveyed, yes, reported to Dewas. Of course, later in the Supervisory Board, how the decision was made will be opened. Just wait," said Asep, who also served as the Director of Investigation of the KPK.

Yaqut is known to have been under house arrest since Thursday, March 19. The transfer of the detention status was carried out after there was a request from the family on March 17 or five days after the detention on Thursday, March 12.

This incident then became a controversy in the community. A number of parties, including former investigators, highlighted the KPK's attitude because the change of the status of detention was the first time it was carried out.

Meanwhile, the KPK said that the change in status from prison detention to house arrest was claimed by the KPK to have been reviewed and in accordance with Article 108 paragraph (1) and (11) of Law Number 20 of 2025 concerning the Criminal Procedure Code.

As previously reported, former Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is a suspect in the corruption case for determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion together with staff, especially Ishfah Abidal Azis alias Gus Alex. This alleged corruption began with the granting of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government to Indonesia in 2023-2024.

Based on Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah and the results of the agreement of the Panja Meeting of Commission VIII of the DPR RI, the special hajj quota should be set at 8 percent of the total quota, while the remaining 92 percent is intended for regular hajj.

However, Yaqut as the Minister of Religion at that time allegedly unilaterally changed its composition. Using the maneuver of issuing the Minister of Religion Decree (KMA) which was not disseminated transparently, he divided the additional Hajj quota into a 50 percent scheme for regular Hajj and 50 percent for special Hajj.

Meanwhile, Ishfah Abidal Aziz implemented the policy by easing the rules for special hajj pilgrims.

Ishfah is suspected of arranging the filling of the remaining special hajj quota to be handed over to the proposed Special Hajj Service (PIHK) or travel agents. In fact, there should be an order of departure according to the national order number according to the law.

In return for these accelerated facilities, Gus Alex instructed his subordinates to collect illegal levies or fees from travel parties, which were ultimately charged to prospective special pilgrims. In 2023, the amount of fees set at USD5,000 or around Rp84.4 million per pilgrim.

Meanwhile, in the 2024 Hajj, the collection rate was agreed at least USD2,000 to USD2,500 per pilgrim.

The billions of rupiah from the collection of fees are suspected to have flowed into the pockets of Gus Yaqut, Gus Alex, and a number of other officials in the Ministry of Religion.

Then there is an allegation that some of the funds were deliberately prepared and used to condition the Special Hajj Committee (Pansus) which was formed by the DPR RI in mid-2024. However, a refusal was given so that no transfer by intermediaries would occur.

As a result of the actions of the two, the state is said to have lost up to IDR 622 billion. They were then suspected of violating Article 2 (1) and or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.