Jakarta. A former Religious Affairs Ministry staffer testified Tuesday that a fee of $5,000 (Rp 88 million) was collected from each pilgrim whose special hajj departure was expedited in 2023, with 181 pilgrims generating a total of $905,000.

Ridwan Kurniawan, a former ministry honorary staffer, gave the testimony at the Jakarta Corruption Court during the trial of former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and three others over alleged corruption in the allocation of additional hajj quotas in 2023-2024. Ridwan said the money was collected through special hajj travel agencies (PIHKs), which obtained the payments from pilgrims who received expedited departure slots.

Prospective hajj pilgrims can face years-long waiting periods before being able to make the pilgrimage. Regular hajj quotas are allocated by the government, while special hajj programs offer different arrangements and, in some cases, shorter waiting periods, making access to additional or expedited slots highly sought after.

The fee was reduced to $2,500 per pilgrim in 2024, although Ridwan did not specify the number of pilgrims involved or the total amount collected that year.

rosecutors also asked Ridwan about $271,500 that his case file said was allocated to Yaqut from the $905,000 collected in 2023.

Ridwan did not confirm that Yaqut received the money. He said the allocation was unclear because a later statement in his case file gave a different account.

“There’s another statement in the case file, so it isn’t clear,” Ridwan told prosecutors.

Ridwan said he did not decide how the money was divided. He was only instructed to put the allocated amounts into envelopes and hand them to Rizky Fisa Abadi, a ministry official involved in special hajj licensing and accreditation.

Prosecutors calculated that three allocations of $181,000 totaled $543,000. Combined with the $271,500 allegedly allocated to Yaqut, that came to $814,500, leaving $90,500 from the original $905,000.

Ridwan disputed the calculation, saying another part of his case file contained evidence explaining the remaining amount.

Separately, Abdul Muhyi, a former Religious Affairs Ministry official, testified about a list of special hajj quota allocations that included prominent names and organizations.

Muhyi said the list, originating from M. Agus Syafii, a ministry official overseeing special hajj affairs in 2023-2024, contained 6,543 allocated slots, of which 4,031 were ultimately realized.

The list included former Yaqut aide Ishfah Abidal Azis, known as Gus Alex, who was initially allocated 1,260 slots and ultimately received 1,388. It also listed an individual identified as “Iwan BIN,” linked in court to Indonesia's State Intelligence Agency, who was allocated 270 slots but received 25.

Other names included Kesthuri association chairman Asrul Azis Taba, with 202 allocated slots and 204 realized; House Commission VIII, with 105 slots both allocated and realized; and Budi Dermawan, chairman of HIMPUH's honorary board, with 793 allocated and 817 realized.

The testimony forms part of prosecutors' efforts to establish how additional hajj quotas were allocated and how payments linked to expedited special hajj departures were collected and distributed.

Yaqut and three other defendants — Asrul Azis Taba, former Yaqut aide Gus Alex and PT Makassar Toraja (Maktour) operations director Ismail Adham — have been charged in the case. 

Prosecutors allege the scheme caused state losses of Rp622.09 billion and enriched Yaqut by $271,500. They also allege that 313 special hajj travel companies benefited from the quota arrangements, which prosecutors say involved the trading of special hajj and pilgrimage officer quotas and expedited-departure fees.

The allegations have yet to be proven in court.

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