Surabaya Mayor Vows Continued Independent Audit of KBS After Director Named Corruption Suspect

The Mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi, has stated that the city government will continue its independent audit of the Surabaya Zoo (KBS) after its president director was named a corruption suspect. The suspect, identified by the initials CA, served as the director of the municipally-owned enterprise from 2016 to 2024.

Mayor Eri Cahyadi said the naming of a suspect was a form of firm action against city officials indicated to have committed corruption. He revealed his suspicion arose after discovering a cash discrepancy at KBS during CA’s tenure, amounting to approximately IDR 8 billion. “According to the data, KBS had IDR 8 billion, but when it appeared in the cash report, the money was not there,” he said in Surabaya on Friday.

Following the discovery of the suspicious matter, the mayor requested an examination by an independent team in 2024. KBS had previously conducted an internal audit, and the corruption was suspected to have occurred before 2023. The city government then conducted an audit, which was carried out by an independent team under the auspices of the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK). This audit subsequently uncovered corruption within KBS’s management.

Eri affirmed the Surabaya city government’s commitment to eradicating all forms of illegal levies, including the misuse of funds. “I have eliminated illegal levies, let alone matters involving large sums of money like this,” he said. He warned the current KBS management that all budgets must be accounted for. “I have instructed the Regional Secretary to go directly to KBS and check that the budget can be accounted for,” Eri added. As a form of strict oversight, the Surabaya city government will continue annual audits by an independent team.