Riau DPRD Member Named Suspect in Illegal Deforestation Case

Riau Legislator Faces Illegal Deforestation Allegation Over Palm Plantation

Tempatdonasi.com – A member of the Kampar District Regional House of Representatives, or DPRD, has been named a suspect in an alleged illegal deforestation case involving land that was later developed into an oil palm plantation in Riau.

Riau Regional Police identified the legislator only by the initial F. The case concerns approximately 60 hectares of forest land in XIII Koto Kampar Subdistrict, Kampar District, where investigators believe oil palm trees were planted after the area came under F’s control.

Commissioner Ade Kuncoro, the Director of Special Criminal Investigation at Riau Regional Police, said F had already been questioned several times during the investigation. Those examinations took place first while F was treated as a witness and later after investigators designated the legislator as a suspect.

“F was declared a suspect, related to the control or deforestation of the forest for the oil palm plantation,” Ade said in a written statement on Friday, September 25, 2026.

Investigation Focuses on Forest Conversion

Investigators are examining whether forest land was unlawfully cleared and then used for commercial oil palm cultivation. The suspected conversion of forest areas into plantations is central to the case, with police seeking to establish how the land was controlled, cleared, and planted.

The matter began with an inquiry into suspected forest destruction in XIII Koto Kampar, an area within Kampar District in Riau Province. Police later found indications that the land in question had been planted with oil palm and was believed to be under F’s control.

Although F has now been named a suspect, police have not taken the legislator into custody. Investigators are continuing their examination process and preparing the case file before deciding on the next legal measures. The absence of detention does not end the investigation, which remains focused on gathering and completing evidence for the case.

The allegation highlights the legal scrutiny surrounding the use of forest land for plantation activities. The distinction between lawful land management and unauthorized forest clearing can depend on the status of the area, the basis for land control, and whether documents and permits support the activity under review.

Case Linked to Earlier Kampar Arrests

The latest development is part of a broader deforestation investigation pursued by Riau Regional Police since June 2025. During that earlier phase, authorities arrested four people over allegations involving illegal oil palm plantations in forest areas of Kampar District.

The four individuals were identified as MM, 40; BT, 48; Y, 43; and MYT, 50. Police suspected them of managing plantations inside the Limited Production Forest and the Si Abu Protected Forest.

Each suspect was believed to have had a different role in the alleged operation. The responsibilities under investigation ranged from ownership and plantation management to the granting of land through customary arrangements. Police are also examining documents that were allegedly used to give the appearance that control over the land had an administrative foundation.

Among the documents being scrutinized are donation letters, sales receipts, and work agreements. Their presence is relevant because investigators are assessing whether they reflected legitimate rights to manage the land or were used to support activities in areas designated as forest land.

The earlier arrests and the designation of F as a suspect show that the inquiry has widened beyond the first group of people detained in 2025. Investigators are continuing to develop the case and are considering whether additional parties may have been involved in the alleged clearing and plantation operations.

Why the Land Status Matters

Forest classifications are important to the investigation because the earlier case involved both Limited Production Forest and protected forest areas. These designations carry different management functions, but both place limits on how land may be used. Questions over forest conversion therefore extend beyond the planting of oil palm itself and include whether the land could legally be occupied or cultivated.

For residents and communities in Kampar, the case also brings attention to the records and arrangements used in land transactions. Donation documents, proof of sale, and work agreements may be presented as evidence of a relationship to land, yet investigators are examining whether such paperwork can establish a lawful basis for activities in forest zones.

Police have not publicly outlined a final conclusion on the full network of people involved. The continuing review of files and evidence means the legal process remains at an investigative stage. Further decisions will depend on the completion of examinations and the assessment of the evidence collected by Riau Regional Police.

For now, F remains a suspect in the alleged unlawful control or clearing of forest land that was turned into a 60-hectare oil palm plantation. The case continues alongside the wider Kampar investigation, which has already involved several arrests and remains open to the possibility of further suspects.