Seven officials at a local tourism department in Bali are facing possible charges for allegedly embezzling money earmarked for the Covid-19 tourism recovery fund.
They are suspected of misappropriating nearly $50,000 by marking up hotel fees in a program to help boost local tourism during the pandemic.
The officials are from the Buleleng provincial tourism office.
No charges have been filed as an investigation is still ongong, said AA Jayalantara, head of investigations for the Buleleng district attorney’s office.
The suspects have not been named yet.
"Each of them has a different role, depending on the activities they handled," Jayalantara said.
About 60% of the money has been recovered and will be used as evidence.
Under Indonesian anti-corruption law, they could receive fines or be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
