Attorney General clears
zoo society in tax probe
The attorney general's office has found no financial wrongdoing on the part of the Honolulu Zoo Society.
"The attorney general's inquiry has revealed that the society has not engaged in any improper financial activities and appears to be acting in the best interests of the Honolulu Zoo," according to a letter from Deputy Attorney Hugh Jones to society President Peter Robb.
The society's finances came under fire by zoo employees who brought the attorney general's investigation to light during a City Council parks committee meeting in February. Some questioned the society's practice of claiming $369,000 of contributed volunteer services as revenues on its nonprofit tax reports.
But Jones wrote that a former society accountant made errors in completing the tax report, and the society has since amended the report "to more accurately describe the financial activities and programs of the society."