Jakarta. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested eight individuals during separate raids in Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, South Sumatra, on Saturday.

KPK spokesperson Tessa Mahardhika declined to reveal the identities of those detained or the reasons behind their arrests, citing the ongoing investigation.

“Investigators have arrested eight individuals in Ogan Komering Ulu Regency. Details regarding the arrests will be disclosed during an official press conference later,” Tessa said in Jakarta.

Under Indonesian law, the KPK has 24 hours to determine whether the detainees will be formally named as corruption suspects or released.

South Sumatra’s Recent Graft Cases
South Sumatra has seen a series of high-profile corruption cases involving local government officials and retired bureaucrats over the past four months.

In December, KPK arrested Risnandar Mahiwa, the acting mayor of Palembang, for allegedly collecting illicit payments from city officials.

A month later, prosecutors detained Deliar Marzoeki, head of the South Sumatra Manpower and Transmigration Department, along with his second wife, Hesti, 30, for allegedly extorting companies in exchange for work safety certificates.

Deliar allegedly pressured businesses and investors operating in the province to pay for certification, while also appointing a specific company to conduct health and safety inspections, further facilitating the scheme. His wife was also taken into custody for allegedly concealing documents related to the case.

Earlier this month, former Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti was arrested in Palembang, less than three years after completing a prison sentence for a previous corruption conviction.

Prosecutors accused Ridwan of fraudulently issuing concessions for nearly 6,000 hectares of protected forest land 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.

The implicated company has already returned Rp 61 billion ($3.7 million) to the state as compensation. Prosecutors have also shut down 5,974 hectares of palm plantations in an effort to recover misappropriated state assets.

Ridwan, now 61, was elected governor of Bengkulu in 2016 but served only a year before being arrested by the KPK for accepting bribes related to a road construction project in Rejang Lebong Regency.

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