Anwar Abbas Defends Yaqut's Hajj Quota Split at Corruption Trial
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Vice Chairman Anwar Abbas defended former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas's handling of Indonesia's additional 2024 hajj quota, telling a Jakarta court on October 29, 2026, that the equal split between regular and special pilgrims was intended to prevent overcrowding.
Anwar cites crowding and pilgrims' welfare
Appearing as a witness for Yaqut at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court, Anwar called the decision "wise, very wise." He argued that adding pilgrims without accounting for the capacity of facilities could create hardship and disputes.
The policy assigned half of the additional quota to regular pilgrims and half to special pilgrims. Anwar said the aim was to ease crowding. "They would not be focusing on performing the hajj, but rather getting entangled in disputes with one another," he said of pilgrims facing overcrowded conditions.
To illustrate his concern, Anwar described a hypothetical increase from 10,000 to 20,000 pilgrims at accommodation sites. Such an increase, he said, could leave the facilities severely congested.
He also recalled a saying from his village in West Sumatra: people who are hungry, urgently need a bathroom or need sleep should not be disturbed. A tired pilgrim unable to find a bed could become very upset, he said.
Anwar grounded his argument in the Ushul Fiqh principle "dar'ul mafasid muqaddamun ala jalbil mashalih," explaining that preventing harm takes precedence over seeking benefits.
How the additional seats were allocated
The 20,000 additional places for 2024 followed a direct request by then-President Joko Widodo to the Saudi Arabian government to shorten Indonesia's regular hajj waiting list. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said waits exceeded a decade and, in some cases, extended for decades. The agency said the entire additional quota should have gone to regular pilgrims.
Article 64 of Law No. 8 of 2019 on the Organization of Hajj and Umrah sets a separate statutory allocation: 92 percent for regular pilgrims and 8 percent for special pilgrims. Applying that ratio to the 20,000 additional places would give regular pilgrims 18,400 seats and special pilgrims 1,600.
Yaqut instead assigned 10,000 seats to each group. According to the KPK, the equal division shifted about 8,400 places from regular pilgrims to the special hajj quota, which private travel companies known as PIHK manage.
The 50:50 allocation was made through Minister of Religious Affairs Decree No. 130 of 2024. By contrast, Presidential Decree No. 6 of 2024 on hajj costs, issued January 9, 2024, retained the 92:8 ratio agreed at a November 2023 working meeting with the House of Representatives.
Prosecutors allege losses and payments
Yaqut faces charges of causing Rp 622.09 billion in state financial losses in a case concerning hajj quota decisions and administration at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2023 and 2024. Prosecutors allege that he assigned half of the additional 2024 quota to special pilgrims without a technical basis.
He is also accused of allowing special pilgrims to fill additional places in 2023 and 2024 without completing the required waiting period or following established procedures. The alleged conduct also involved his former special staff member Ishfah Abidal Aziz, known as Gus Alex; Maktour Operational Director Ismail Adham; and former Indonesian Umrah Hajj Tour Association Chairman Asrul Aziz Taba.
At the opening trial session on August 11, 2026, prosecutors said the policy prevented 8,151 pilgrims who had paid in full from departing. They also alleged that 128 additional places designated for special hajj officers were sold to members of the public.
Prosecutors said newly registered special pilgrims could leave immediately by paying a "speed-up fee" of $2,000 to $3,000 per person. They separately charged Yaqut with receiving a personal benefit of $271,500, equivalent to about Rp 4.8 billion.
Yaqut has denied receiving any money and said he adopted the policy solely to protect pilgrims' safety.
From investigation to trial
The KPK began looking into the case in June 2025. It questioned Yaqut on August 7 and opened a formal investigation on August 9 that year. The agency named Yaqut and Gus Alex as suspects on January 9, 2026.
The South Jakarta District Court rejected Yaqut's pretrial motion on March 11, 2026. The KPK detained him the following day.
Yaqut and his three co-defendants first went on trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court on August 11, 2026. Presiding Judge Ni Kadek Susantiani led the panel, joined by judges Adek Nurhadi and Sigit Herman Binaji.