Corruption Money Saver Hajj Quota Threatened To Be Charged By KPK Using Money Laundering Articles

Acting (Plt) Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu. (Tsa Tsia-VOI)

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) does not hesitate to apply the article of money laundering (TPPU) against the spokesperson for storing corruption in quotas and organizing Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag).

Acting (Plt) Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur Rahayu said the application of the article must have been carried out after investigators pocketed evidence. For example, there is corruption money used to buy assets in the form of vehicles and property.

"If we find later that the money from the corruption action has been diverted, the shape has been bought for maybe vehicles, other property. We will use money. That means that it meets the criteria for TPPU," Asep told reporters at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, quoted Friday, September 26.

Even so, Asep could not talk much about the savior. This is because the money is distributed in stages from the travel, associations to the Ministry of Religion.

He only ensured that the KPK would continue to cooperate with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to trace the flow of money in this case.

"After this is collected, it must be divided into this, or flowed to where, that's it. That's why we cooperated with PPATK and others to see. Where did this run, to anyone else," said Asep, who also serves as Director of KPK Investigations.

Previously reported, the KPK said that allegations of corruption related to quotas and the implementation of Hajj in 2023-2024 at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) would enter a new chapter. In the near future, the suspects will be determined because the process is running using a general investigation warrant (sprindik) and announced.

The general 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.