Jokowi-MBS Meeting on Haji Quota Increase: Former Minister Absent, Court Hears

It was revealed in court that former Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, was not present during the bilateral meeting between President Joko Widodo and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on October 19, 2023, which resulted in the agreement for an additional 20,000 Hajj quotas. This was testified by Ario Bimo Nandito Ariotedjo, also known as Dito, a former Minister of Youth and Sports, who accompanied President Widodo during the meeting. Dito stated that the issue of Hajj was discussed during a lunch meeting, which was the final agenda of the visit. However, he clarified that the initial discussion between Jokowi and the Saudi side did not specifically focus on the additional Hajj quota, as further technical meetings would be required. "If I'm not mistaken, the Minister of Religious Affairs was not there, so the Minister of Foreign Affairs represented him," Dito said during his testimony. Dito's statement came as prosecutors probed the initial process of how the additional Hajj quota emerged. President Jokowi had previously announced through the State Secretariat's YouTube channel that Indonesia had secured a commitment for an additional 20,000 Hajj quotas, which would help alleviate the long waiting list of up to 47 years. Jokowi stated that the request was met with a very positive response, and the commitment for the additional quota was given in less than 12 hours. Following the announcement, Dito admitted that his father-in-law, Fuad Hasan Masyhur, the boss of the Hajj organizing company Maktour, had contacted him. Fuad inquired about the certainty of the additional quota, to which Dito replied, "Yes, it's certain. The technical follow-up will be at the Ministry of Religious Affairs." When questioned by the prosecutor about whether Fuad Hasan Masyhur had met with the Minister of Religious Affairs to follow up on the information, Dito responded, "I only found out after the official meeting and it was reported in the news, but I never knew the detailed planning, etc." Currently, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas himself is a defendant in the corruption case related to the additional Hajj quotas for 2023-2024, along with his special staff Ishfah Abidal Azis, Maktour Operations Director Ismail Adham, and Chairman of the Kesthuri Association Asrul Azis Taba. The case is alleged to have caused state financial losses amounting to approximately Rp 622,090,207,166.41 (around USD 40 million) and also enriched 313 special Hajj organizing providers (PIHK). Source: CNN Indonesia