Indonesian prison officials suspended over alleged VIP inmate compound

The governor of an Indonesian prison and four other officials have been suspended after inspectors uncovered a suspected luxury compound for VIP inmates inside Cibinong Prison in West Java. The Ombudsman’s office discovered the fenced area behind the prison chief’s house during a surprise inspection last week. Inspectors initially faced resistance before entering the compound, where they found buildings resembling villas, flats and town houses.

The site also contained a car park, gym, swimming pool and a golf simulator under construction, as well as several luxury vehicles. Inspectors said they found inmates inside some of the residences. One inmate reportedly locked a door to prevent the inspection team from entering.

The Ombudsman said the facilities appeared to include different accommodation standards and alleged that at least one inmate admitted paying to stay there. It received a report that prisoners were charged 150,000 rupiah, or about US$8.33, a week. A framed photograph of Jimmy Masrin, who is serving a 10-year sentence in a corruption case, was found in the compound.

Ombudsman officials said this and the presence of inmates raised questions about whether special facilities were being commercialised. At a parliamentary hearing, Corrections Director General Mashudi denied that the prison had created special accommodation for paying inmates. He said the buildings were official residences for prison staff and that one structure was a cattle-fattening facility.

He said the luxury items belonged to officers and that the area under construction was intended for storage lockers. Several lawmakers were unconvinced by the explanation. The Ombudsman has called for the facilities to be dismantled before its next inspection, while Indonesia Corruption Watch urged an investigation into possible transactions and abuse of authority.