Riau Governor Nonaktif Abdul Wahid Sentenced to 8.5 Years in Prison

PEKANBARU - The Corruption Eradication Commission prosecutor demands the non-active Riau Governor Abdul Wahid with a sentence of 8 years and 6 months in a corruption case in the form of extortion in a trial at the Pekanbaru District Court.

Chairman of the KPK Prosecutor Team Meyer Volmer Simanjuntak demanded that the corruption criminal court panel at the Pekanbaru District Court which tried this case decide and declare that the defendant Abdul Wahid has been proven to be legally and convincingly guilty of committing corruption together.

"To impose a sentence on the defendant Abdul Wahid in the form of imprisonment for 8 years and 6 months, reduced during the defendant's detention by ordering the defendant to remain in detention and a fine of Rp. 500 million," he said, as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, July 9.

Abdul Wahid was found guilty of committing a criminal act whose threat is regulated in Article 12 letter e Juncto Article 18 of the Law on Eradication of Corruption Crimes in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the RI Law number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code as the first alternative indictment.

In addition, the prosecutor also asked the judge to impose on the defendant Abdul Wahid to pay compensation of Rp. 1.450 billion. This is with the provision that if the defendant does not pay compensation within one month after the court's decision has obtained the force of law, then his property can be confiscated by the prosecutor and auctioned to cover the compensation.

"If it is insufficient, it will be replaced with a three-year prison sentence," he said.

Previously, Meyer also conveyed that the defendant's burden was not in support of the government's program in eradicating criminal acts of corruption and the defendant did not speak the truth and was convoluted in giving testimony, making it difficult to prove. Meanwhile, the mitigating circumstances for the defendant have never been punished.

The prosecutor demanded the sentence based on the fact that in court the defendant had acted against the law and abused the power of the defendant, who had always been the Governor of Riau, with the intention of benefiting himself and his family.

Abdul Wahid is considered to have forcibly asked the Heads of the Technical Implementation Unit for Roads and Bridges at the Riau Provincial Directorate of Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing, Residential Areas and Land to provide money and payments for the defendant's needs totaling Rp. 2.45 billion.

This amount was reduced by the evidence seized from one of the Head of the UPT, Eri Ikhsan, in the form of money amounting to Rp. 800 million which was intended for the benefit of the defendant and the return of Novan Avindo Ajudan Panglima Daerah Militer XIX Tuanku Tambusai in the amount of Rp. 150 million.

"Based on the above considerations, the substitute money imposed on the suspect is IDR 1.45 billion," said the prosecutor.