Palembang. Former Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges, less than three years after completing his prison sentence for a separate graft conviction.

Prosecutors in South Sumatra accused Ridwan of fraudulently issuing concessions for nearly 6,000 hectares of protected forests to a palm oil plantation company while serving as the two-term regent of Musi Rawas, South Sumatra, from 2005 to 2015.

Alongside Ridwan, authorities have named four other suspects, including a director of the plantation company, identified by the initials DAM, two former officials from the Musi Rawas Investment Board, and a former village head.

According to Umaryadi, the assistant chief provincial prosecutor for corruption investigations, the company involved had already returned Rp 61 billion ($3.7 million) in compensation payments to the state. Prosecutors have also shut down 5,974 hectares of palm plantations in an effort to recover stolen state assets.

Ridwan, now 61, was elected Bengkulu governor in 2016 but served for only a year before being arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for accepting bribes in a road construction project in Bengkulu’s Rejang Lebong Regency.

The scandal also implicated his wife, Lily Martiani Maddari, and forced Ridwan to resign from office. The couple was later convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison. However, Ridwan was released on parole in 2022 after receiving multiple sentence reductions.

A Pattern of Corruption Among Bengkulu Governors
Bengkulu’s history of governors entangled in corruption cases highlights a troubling pattern of misuse of public office in the province, raising concerns about governance and accountability.

Ridwan’s case is the latest in a long string of corruption scandals involving Bengkulu governors over the past two decades.

Most recently, Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah was arrested by the KPK in November last year, just three days before the gubernatorial election, in which he was seeking reelection. Prosecutors accused him of extorting subordinates to raise campaign funds. While Rohidin remained on the ballot, his sole opponent, Helmi Hasan, won the election.

Earlier, Acting Bengkulu Governor Junaidi Hamzah, who served from 2012 to 2015, was arrested for alleged corruption related to a provincial government hospital. He was also accused of abusing his power by interfering in the hospital’s management.

Before him, Agusrin Maryono Najamuddin, who governed from 2005 to 2012, was convicted of embezzling land and building taxes. He was initially acquitted by the Central Jakarta District Court, but the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and sentenced him to four years in prison.