KPK Probes Former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil in Hajj Quota

Jakarta, MINA – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Monday regarding the distribution of additional hajj quotas for the year 1445 Hijri (2024). This was his first appearance as a witness in the ongoing investigation.

“Investigators are digging into the timeline of the additional quotas, which were then divided into special and regular hajj quotas through a ministerial decree,” said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo at the KPK’s Red and White Building in Jakarta.

Budi added that the KPK is also investigating alleged money transfers to Yaqut from the distribution of these additional hajj quotas. The case centers on suspected corruption in the determination of hajj quotas and the management of the pilgrimage by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2023-2024.

Yaqut was questioned for nearly seven hours on Monday, from 9:22 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Western Indonesia Time.

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The KPK first announced its investigation into the alleged corruption on August 9, 2025. This came after the commission had already interviewed Yaqut during its preliminary investigation on August 7, 2025.

At the time, the KPK also stated that it was coordinating with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to calculate the state financial losses in the case. On August 11, 2025, the KPK announced an initial estimate of over IDR 1 trillion in state losses and issued a travel ban for three individuals, including Yaqut.

In addition to the KPK’s probe, the DPR’s Special Committee for Hajj (Pansus Angket Haji) also reported finding several irregularities in the 2024 hajj management. The main point of contention for the committee was the 50-50 split of the 20,000 additional quotas provided by Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Religious Affairs had allocated 10,000 quotas for regular hajj and 10,000 for special hajj.

This allocation contradicts Article 64 of Law No. 8 of 2019, which stipulates that special hajj quotas should be 8% and regular hajj quotas 92% of the total. [Shibgho]

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)