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View all search resultsFormer Surabaya Zoo director arrested over alleged corruption
Authorities said that the alleged embezzlement not only caused state losses but also affected animal welfare, with some animals becoming emaciated and, in some cases, dying due to inadequate care.
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This photo taken on June 27, 2022, shows Four-month-old juvenile Komodo dragons, hatched in captivity as part of a breeding programme for the endangered lizard, in their enclosure at the Surabaya Zoo in East Java.
(AFP/Juni Kriswanto )
T
he former director of Surabaya Zoo in East Java, one of Indonesia's oldest zoos, was named a suspect in an alleged 10.2 billion rupiah (US$ 558,000) corruption case that authorities said contributed to the decline in animal welfare at the facility.
Choirul Anwar was detained by the East Java Prosecutor's Office in Surabaya late on Tuesday and will remain in custody for the next 20 days pending further investigation.
I Gede Punia Atmaja, head of the prosecutor's office's special crimes division, said Choirul was suspected of embezzling funds from the city-owned zoo during his eight-year tenure as director from 2016 to 2024.
"A preliminary audit by the East Java office of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) estimated the alleged embezzlement caused state losses of 10.2 billion rupiah. Of that amount, around 7.4 billion rupiah was used by Choirul for his personal expenses," Punia said on Tuesday as quoted by Kompas.com.
Investigators said one of the alleged schemes involved the misuse of funds allocated for animal feed at the zoo. Choirul allegedly reduced spending on the animals' daily food needs and falsified records to make it appear that the full budget had been properly disbursed.
"The alleged embezzlement not only caused state losses but also affected animal welfare, with some animals becoming emaciated and, in some cases, dying due to inadequate care. It also contributed to the poor condition of the zoo's facilities, which became poorly maintained, dirty and damaged," Punia said.
Read also: Surabaya Zoo to receive red pandas, giraffes and tortoises from Japan
