Jakarta. Governor Abdul Wahid, arrested earlier this week, has become the fourth provincial leader from Riau to face corruption charges, following three predecessors who were all convicted and jailed in separate graft cases.

“Four corruption cases involving Riau governors have been handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK),” KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.

He urged the provincial government to take corruption prevention more seriously. “It is important for local administrations -- particularly in Riau -- to strengthen governance and improve oversight,” Budi said.

The commission has yet to disclose in detail the charges against Abdul, who was arrested on Monday along with nine other individuals, mostly Riau government officials.

Abdul Wahid’s arrest adds to a long-standing pattern of corruption cases involving the province’s top officials, highlighting the continuing challenge of reforming regional governance in one of Indonesia’s most resource-rich areas.

According to the KPK, the agency has consistently worked to help local governments adopt good governance practices and identify corruption-prone sectors. KPK officers have been deployed to monitor regional administrations and provide recommendations for preventive action.

Riau’s first governor to face graft charges was Saleh Djasit, who served from 1998 to 2003. He was sentenced to four years in prison for abuse of power in the procurement of fire trucks, causing state losses of around Rp 4.7 billion.

He was followed by Rusli Zainal, who governed for two terms from 2003 to 2013 and received a 14-year prison sentence -- later reduced to 10 years by the Supreme Court -- for corruption related to the National Sports Week project and illegal forestry permits in Pelalawan and Siak districts.

The third was Annas Maamun, who took office in 2014 but was sentenced to six years in prison just a year later for accepting bribes from palm oil plantation companies.

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