KPK Suspects Independent Commissioner of PT Sucofindo as an Intermediary in the Transfer of Money to the Hajj Sub-Committee

Acting Director of KPK Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein (Tsa Tsia/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspects Zainal Abidin (ZA) as Independent Commissioner of PT Sucofindo Zainal Abidin to be involved in conditioning the Special Committee (Pansus) for Hajj in the DPR RI. He is said to be an intermediary who made the money transfer.

This was conveyed by the acting (Plt) Director of KPK Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein when asked about the provision of money to the haji committee which was revealed in the corruption case of determining quotas and the implementation of the 2023-2024 hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion.

Zainal has been summoned in his capacity as a witness on Thursday, September 4, 2025. This figure is said to be one of the young cadres of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) community organization (ormas).

"The fact that we found, it is true that there is a witness ZA who is an intermediary in the transfer of money to the member of the sub-committee. We have examined ZA," Taufik told reporters at the KPK's Red and White building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Monday, April 13.

In addition to checking Zainal Abidin, Taufik said, the seizure of money handed over to the Hajj Commission had also been carried out. However, he did not specify the amount or the origin of the money.

Taufik only claimed that the money had not yet been received by the members of the DPR RI Hajj Commission. "Except it is still in the middle (ZA, ed)," he said.

"Regarding the information that the money has been used and then paid in installments, we will investigate further," continued Taufik.

The KPK previously named two new suspects in the Hajj quota corruption case, namely Ismail Adhan as the Director of Operations of Maktour Travel and Asrul Azis Taba who is the former General Chairman of the Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Travel Association (Kesthuri). The two are suspected of plotting to get additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi government even giving money.

Ismail is said to have given money to Ishfah Abidal Azis, who is a former special staff of the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas worth 30 thousand US dollars. Then, he gave money to Abdul Latief as the Director General of Haji and Umrah (Dirjen PHU) Ministry of Religion with details of 5,000 US dollars and 16,000 Saudi riyals.

This act then made Maktour obtain an illegal profit in 2024 worth Rp. 27.8 billion.

Meanwhile, Asrul is said to have given money worth 406 thousand US dollars. From this gift, eight special haj organizers (PIHK) under the auspices of Kesthuri received illegal profits of up to Rp. 40.8 billion.

The determination of the two is an expansion of the corruption case of the haj quota which had previously ensnared Yaqut and Ishfah. This corruption allegation began with the provision of 20,000 additional haj 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 relaxing the rules for special hajj pilgrims. He is suspected of arranging the filling of the remaining special hajj quota to be handed over to the proposal of the Special Hajj Service (PIHK) or travel agents which should be in accordance with the national order number as regulated by 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.