Bali’s Governor is applauding official corruption probes underway ofthe Bali Immigration processing of Stay Permits.
The State News Agency Antara reports that Bali Governor Wayan Koster has expressed his appreciation for the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) efforts to investigate allegations of extortion against foreigners in the processing of residence permits in Bali.
”I really appreciate it, so that immigration performance will improve,” Koster said during the 80th Bhayangkara Day Anniversary Ceremony at Niti Mandala Renon Field, Denpasar, on Wednesday, 01 July 2026.
The Bali Governor described the KPK’s steps as a form of correction in immigration performance to ensure better performance in the future.
According to Koster, Bali is an international tourist destination, so tourist services must also meet international standards and be free of corruption.
”Because Bali is a major global tourist destination, good practice in handling foreigners is very important,” he said.
When asked about the impact of the alleged corruption cases involving the private sector in Bali, Wayan Koster claimed that there has been no significant impact on tourist visits to Bali.
On June 2-3, 2026, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted a sting raid related to alleged corruption in the processing of foreigner’s residence permits.
During the raid, the KPK arrested 17 individuals, including eight state officials or civil servants and nine private parties, suspected of acting as intermediaries in processing immigration documents, including the high-ranking Deputy Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Silmy Karim.
The KPK has formally named eight individuals as suspects in a case of alleged extortion and soliciting gratuities related to the processing of foreign national residence permits by the Directorate General of Immigration during the 2022-2026 period.
Investigators suspect that the suspects received money from foreign national residence permit processing, either in cash or through intermediaries, totaling at least Rp. 145.5 billion between 2022 and 2026.
The money is suspected to have come from immigration service applicants whose document processing was deliberately delayed, leading to additional fees being demanded to complete their applications.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) also suspects that up to Rp 357 billion (approximately US$26 million) in funds are linked to the practice, based on a financial transaction analysis conducted by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) on dozens of accounts linked to employees within the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.
The anti-corruption agency has also conducted an audit and a search at the Class 1 Immigration Checkpoint in Denpasar and questioned several private-sector witnesses in Bali.
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