Jakarta Corruption Court Begins Trial for Former Minister Yaqut in Rp 622 Billion Hajj Quota Scandal
Former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas stood before the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, facing serious charges of state financial losses totaling Rp 622.09 billion tied to the management of the hajj quota during the 2023–2024 seasons. During the reading of the indictment, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutor Fahmi Idris claimed that Yaqut handled and redirected the distribution of 50 percent of the 2024 additional special hajj quota arbitrarily, omitting any technical studies.
An Indictment Centered on Arbitrary Quota Allocation and Acceleration Fees
According to the KPK prosecutors, the controversy stems from the distribution of extra pilgrimage slots allocated by Saudi Arabia. For the 2023 and 2024 haj seasons, Indonesia received extra allotments of 8,000 and 20,000 spots, respectively, on top of the annual national baseline quota of 221,000. Under prevailing regulations, the special hajj program—designed to offer shorter waiting periods in exchange for higher fees—is capped at 8 percent of the total quota and is managed by private travel agencies.
Prosecutors detailed that Yaqut allegedly abused his authority by splitting the extra spots equally between the state-subsidized regular hajj and the special hajj programs in 2023 and 2024. Furthermore, the defendant allegedly filled these supplementary special hajj quotas with Special Hajj Pilgrims Without Waiting Period (TO) or Special Hajj Pilgrims with Waiting Time x Years (Tx) not in accordance with the established mechanism, as reported by Tempo.
According to reports, these additional slots fulfilled demands submitted by the Special Hajj Organizer Association (PIHK), in exchange for fast-track fees gathered from both organizers and special pilgrims. The state losses are broken down into a Rp 438.22 billion gap in PIHK revenues and expenditures for managing ineligible special hajj pilgrims in 2024, Rp 39.95 billion from selling 2024 special hajj officer slots, and Rp 143.92 billion in acceleration fees collected during 2023 and 2024.
Collusion Allegations and Co-Defendants in the Hajj Quota Case
The prosecution maintains that Yaqut did not act alone. Allegations suggest he worked in tandem with former special staffer Ishfah Abidal Aziz, also known as Gus Alex; Maktour Operational Director Ismail Adham; and Asrul Aziz Taba, who formerly headed the Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Tour Travel Association. The Jakarta Post noted that Yaqut allegedly colluded with Ismail Adham and Asrul Aziz Taba to increase the additional quota for travel providers above the prescribed cap.
The indictment outlines a web of alleged beneficiaries who personally profited from the scheme. Prosecutors claim Yaqut pocketed US$271,500, equivalent to roughly Rp 4.83 billion at an exchange rate of Rp 17,800 per U.S. dollar. Additional millions in foreign currency and rupiah were allegedly funneled to others, including Gus Alex, Rizky Fisa Abadi, Abdul Muhyi, Ridwan Kurniawan, and others, including travel operators and corporate entities such as 313 PIHK operators and the Perahu Cooperative.
Legal Charges, Defense Pushback, and Next Steps
Yaqut faces prosecution for these purported acts under Article 603 paired with Article 20 letter c of the Criminal Code (KUHP), or alternatively Article 3 paired with Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, with subsequent amendments under Law No. 20/2001. Meanwhile, defense counsel has pushed back against the prosecution’s framework, filing a counter-appeal that questions the KPK’s construction of the indictment.
As the trial progresses at the Jakarta Corruption Court, the proceedings promise to shed further light on the intersection of religious administration and regulatory oversight in Indonesia’s hajj pilgrimage system.
