The detention of 2 new suspects in the Hajj quota corruption case will be carried out by the KPK this week

Illustration of a prison. ANTARA.

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that the alleged corruption in determining quotas and organizing the 2023-2024 Hajj pilgrimage at the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) would enter a new phase. Two new suspects, namely Ismail Adhan as the Director of Operational Maktour Travel and Asrul Azis Taba who is the former General Chairman of the Union of Tour Travel Haji Umrah RI (Kesthuri) will be detained in the near future.

"Wait. Maybe this week or next week, God willing, a detention will be carried out," said Deputy Head of the KPK's Enforcement and Execution Department Asep Guntur Rahayu to reporters at the KPK's Red and White building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, quoted Tuesday, June 2.

Asep said the new detention was carried out because investigators needed time to strengthen the evidence of the involvement of the two. "If it is carried out while in detention, it is limited in time," said the former KPK Director of Investigation.

"So we first collect the evidence. After it is complete, we will make efforts to forcibly detain," continued Asep.

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 Abdi Cholil Qoumas, the Director General of Haji and Umrah (Dirjen PHU) at the 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 two are known to be suspects after the KPK first ensnared Yaqut and Ishfah. This suspected corruption began with the provision of 20,000 additional Hajj quotas from the Saudi Arabian government to Indonesia in 2023-2024.