KPK investigators also named three officials from the provincial administration – Public Works Agency head Daud Ismail, Housing Agency head Adnan Hasanudin and Goods and Services Procurement Agency Ridwan Arsan — as suspects in the case, along with two other individuals from private companies. Abdul's aide, Ramadhan Ibrahim, was also named as a suspect for collecting the bribe money.

The KPK suspects the governor of having accepted bribes from companies that won the tender for government projects to build roads and bridges. The projects are worth Rp 500 billion (US$32 million).

"Abdul, as North Maluku governor, decided which contractors won the tender for the construction projects," KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata said in a press release on Wednesday.

Abdul allegedly ordered his subordinates to manipulate the progress reports of the projects as if they were half finished so the North Maluku regional budget could be disbursed.

The KPK has yet to disclose how much money the governor allegedly received but it suspects Rp 2.2 billion in bribes had flowed into the bank account of Abdul’s aide.

Abdul and six other suspects are now being detained at the KPK detention center for the next 20 days.