Indonesia & Corruption: a few articles in the past few weeks

[jstar]

After the Bandung Zoo corruption case last year which involved two key administrators -sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2025 for causing IDR 25 billion in state losses- there is a new case but now with the zoo of Surabaya.

Former Surabaya Zoo president director Choirul Anwar was arrested and detained by the East Java High Prosecutor’s Office for an IDR 10.2 billion corruption scheme. He allegedly embezzled animal feed and operational funds for personal use between 2016 and 2024, severely harming animal welfare.

He created fictitious financial reports, cut daily animal food budgets and created fake expense records. The result was neglected, weak and starving animals and poorly maintained facilities.

 

[harryopal1]

Today watched a German documentary about food courier services through much of Europe. The pattern is for the big companies to sub contract to a range of smaller companies which underpay, employees and misuse them in a variety of ways. Many of the underpaid are Indian students, legitimately in various countries and trying to help cover living costs by working as couriers. Where odd strikes have taken place there have been Mafia like tactics used including bashing of protesters. As a German Minister for Labour said, some of these big companies are making big profits but governments have not regulated against sub contractors. There continue to be spectacular cases of corruption in Indonesia but corruption is certainly not unique to this archipelago.