Suspended Riau Governor Demanded 8.5 Years in Prison in 'Thug Levy' Case

Suspended Riau Governor Abdul Wahid faced a sentencing hearing on charges of extorting subordinates, a practice referred to as a ‘thug levy’. Public prosecutors demanded a prison sentence of eight years and six months. The hearing took place at the Pekanbaru Corruption Court in Riau on Thursday (9 July 2026). Alongside Abdul, former Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency Muhammad Arief Setiawan and Riau Governor’s Expert Staff Dani M Nursalam also attended the sentencing hearing. In their demands, the KPK prosecutors stated that the defendant Abdul Wahid had been legally and convincingly proven to have committed a criminal act, leading them to demand a prison term of eight years and six months. ‘Sentencing the defendant Abdul Wahid to imprisonment for eight years and six months, reduced by the time the defendant has already spent in detention,’ the prosecutor stated. In addition, the prosecutors demanded a fine of IDR 500 million. Should the fine remain unpaid, the defendant’s assets or income will be seized and auctioned to cover the outstanding penalty. The case was initially uncovered by the KPK, which suspects Abdul Wahid of threatening subordinates who failed to pay a fee known as a ‘thug levy’. The illegal payments are believed to have been made on at least three occasions in June, August, and November 2025.