Indonesia demolishes luxury prison ‘villas’ after VIP inmate scandal

Indonesian authorities have demolished a cluster of luxury “villas” inside an overcrowded prison after investigators discovered that selected inmates were allegedly living with big-screen televisions, air conditioning, alcohol and access to a swimming pool and gym.

An excavator tore down 10 buildings at Cibinong Prison in Bogor, south of Jakarta, on Wednesday as authorities widened an investigation into whether prisoners had paid for privileges unavailable to ordinary inmates.

Before the demolition, officers removed sofas, beds, refrigerators, televisions and other furnishings from the buildings, AFP reported.

The extraordinary accommodation was discovered during an unannounced inspection by Indonesia’s Ombudsman on September 23.

Inspectors found more than 10 residential units separate from the normal prison blocks. Inside were couches, large beds, televisions, refrigerators and dining tables. Bottles of alcohol were also found in a refrigerator.

Elsewhere in the compound, inspectors discovered a swimming pool and gym, luxury vehicles and a golf simulator that was still under construction.

Perhaps more seriously, investigators found an unlocked gate connecting the residential area to a bamboo forest outside, raising questions about prison security and whether inmates could enter and leave the area without passing through normal controls.

“We found [the premises] occupied by inmates,” Ombudsman official Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan said, according to AFP.

“So we strongly suspect that in Cibinong correctional facility, there are special facilities for some inmates.”

The Ombudsman said its inspectors had initially been prevented by prison guards from entering the inmate blocks despite presenting official documentation. It was after this that the team discovered the residential compound elsewhere on the prison grounds.

One person encountered in the accommodation told inspectors that he was an inmate, according to the watchdog.

The authorities have not publicly identified the prisoners believed to have used the facilities.

Cibinong holds more than 1,800 inmates and is among the most overcrowded prisons on the Indonesian island of Java, according to AP. Its prisoners include people convicted of violent crimes as well as white-collar offences, including corruption.

Investigators are now trying to establish who authorised the special accommodation and whether money changed hands.

The Ombudsman has alleged that some inmates paid for access to the facilities. Indonesian media reported that one prisoner was suspected of paying 160,000 rupiah, about $9, a week.

Rudi Setiawan, inspector general at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, said the structures were not funded by the state budget and had not received the required permits.

“Some [inmates] had inhabited these buildings,” Rudi said, according to AFP. “We have received information on who were there, and we will follow up on who allowed it to happen.”

Authorities have questioned 52 inmates as part of the investigation.

Five senior prison officials, including the prison chief, have been suspended while the inquiry continues.

The ministry is expected to present the preliminary findings of its investigation to parliament.

The scandal has renewed scrutiny of Indonesia’s prison system, which has struggled for years with overcrowding and allegations that wealthy or well-connected prisoners can obtain privileges unavailable to other inmates.

In 2018, Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency uncovered a similar scandal at Sukamiskin prison in West Java, where inmates convicted of corruption were found to have paid officials for preferential accommodation.

The latest discovery has prompted calls for broader reform rather than action against individual officials alone.

Syafrida told lawmakers this week that the Cibinong case could represent only a fraction of a wider problem.

“This is the tip of the iceberg that will indeed be greater in the future if it is not corrected systemically,” she said.

- with inputs from AFP, AP