Kuansing Regent Becomes Seventh Riau Regional Head Named KPK Suspect
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing) Regent Suhardiman Amby a suspect in an alleged bribery case related to the sale and purchase of the regional secretary post. He becomes the seventh regional head in Riau to be named a suspect by the anti-graft body. “We must convey that this enforcement action by the KPK is the seventh of its kind in the Riau region,” said KPK Acting Director of Investigations Ahmad Taufik Husein during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/7/2026).
Taufik outlined several previous cases involving regional heads in Riau, ranging from procurement fraud to extortion. The first case involved former Riau Governor Saleh Djasit, who was named a suspect in 2007 for corruption in the procurement of 20 fire engines using the 2003 regional budget, causing state losses of IDR 4.7 billion. He was later tried at the Corruption Court in May 2008 and faced a 20-year prison sentence.
Former Riau Governor Rusli Zainal was convicted of receiving gratuities to facilitate the passage of a regional regulation for the 2012 National Games (PON) in Riau. He was found to have extorted contractors and bribed members of the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) with IDR 1.8 billion, receiving IDR 500 million from a convicted individual for the PON regulation revision. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
In 2014, former Riau Governor Annas Maamun was caught in a sting operation for accepting bribes related to forest conversion permits. He received money from the chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association in Riau to facilitate the licensing process. Annas was sentenced to 6 years in prison and was released in 2020 after receiving a pardon.
Former Kuansing Regent Andi Putra was caught in a 2021 sting operation for receiving a bribe of IDR 500 million from PT Adimulia Agrolestari to process the extension of a palm oil plantation business permit (HGU). He was sentenced to 5 years and 7 months in prison.
In 2023, Kepulauan Meranti Regent Muhammad Adil was arrested for budget cuts across several agencies and accepting bribes from an umrah travel bureau and for a financial audit. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined IDR 600 million.
Former Riau Governor Abdul Wahid was named a suspect in a corruption case involving road and bridge construction projects for the 2025 fiscal year. The KPK suspects he received fees for increasing the budget allocated to the Public Works Department’s road and bridge technical implementation units.
“This latest incident confirms that corrupt practices in the Riau region are still recurring,” Taufik stated. “Therefore, a more serious commitment and concrete steps are needed from all state officials to prevent corruption in the future.”