Indonesia Losses N51.5 billion in Hajj Quota Corruption Scandal
By Abdulrazaq Auwal
Indonesia has recorded an estimated N51.5 billion loss following a corruption scandal linked to the distribution of additional Hajj pilgrimage quotas, according to the country’s anti-graft authorities.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) disclosed that the financial loss was established through an audit conducted by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) as part of an ongoing investigation into irregularities in the allocation of extra Hajj slots.
Speaking at the commission’s headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday, KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, Asep Guntur Rahayu, confirmed that the losses were linked to unlawful actions by officials responsible for managing the additional quota.
The anti-corruption agency has named former Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, and his former special staff member, Ishfah Abidal Aziz, popularly known as Gus Alex, as suspects in the case. Both men were formally designated suspects on January 8, 2026.
Investigators said the case revolves around an additional Hajj quota of 20,000 pilgrims granted to Indonesia by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for the 2023–2024 Hajj seasons.
According to the KPK, Qoumas allegedly directed that the additional quota be divided equally between regular Hajj pilgrims and special Hajj programmes, allocating 10,000 slots to each category.
Authorities said Gus Alex subsequently coordinated discussions with Saudi officials on the administrative procedures required to implement the equal distribution of the additional quota.
However, investigators argue that the policy contravened Indonesia’s 2019 Law on the Organisation of Hajj and Umrah, which stipulates that special Hajj programmes should account for only eight percent of the country’s total Hajj quota.
The KPK further revealed that the former minister instructed the Director-General of Hajj and Umrah Services to prepare a memorandum of understanding with Saudi authorities and conduct policy simulations to justify the 50:50 quota distribution.
The arrangement eventually enabled Saudi authorities to incorporate the additional quota into the e-Hajj system, raising Indonesia’s total Hajj quota for 2024 to 241,000 pilgrims, compared to the previous 221,000 slots.
Investigators also disclosed that in November 2023, Gus Alex asked Indonesia’s Hajj Affairs Office in Jeddah to formally request the equal distribution of the additional quota from Saudi authorities.
Saudi officials subsequently requested a formal confirmation from Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, which later issued Ministerial Decree No. 1156 of 2023, approving the allocation of 10,000 additional slots each for regular and special pilgrims.
However, the anti-corruption commission said the decree was not widely circulated within the Directorate-General of Hajj and Umrah, raising concerns over transparency and administrative compliance.
The KPK also noted that the decision contradicted the outcome of a meeting between Indonesia’s parliamentary Commission VIII and the Ministry of Religious Affairs held on November 27, 2023.
Following the agreement, Qoumas reportedly wrote to Saudi authorities confirming Indonesia’s overall Hajj quota of 241,000 pilgrims, including 213,000 regular pilgrims and 27,000 special pilgrims.
Prosecutors have charged both suspects under Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws for allegedly abusing their authority in the allocation of the Hajj quota.
The KPK confirmed that the former minister has been placed in detention for an initial 20-day period from March 11 to March 31, 2026, at the commission’s detention facility in South Jakarta as investigations continue.
