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Indonesian investigators have found more than 10 house-style buildings inside a prison in West Java equipped with air conditioners, large televisions, refrigerators stocked with alcohol, a gym and a golf simulator under construction, raising allegations that some inmates received special treatment. The buildings sit apart from the regular cellblocks, and at least one prisoner was found living in them.
Indonesia’s Ombudsman conducted an unannounced inspection of Cibinong Prison in Bogor, West Java, on the 23rd of last month, according to The Associated Press and ABC News.
Sofas, Large TVs and Alcohol: ‘Luxury Apartments’ Inside a Prison
During the inspection, the Ombudsman’s team found more than 10 residential buildings in an area separate from the regular cellblocks.
The interiors looked little like standard prison facilities. They were furnished with sofas, air conditioners, large televisions and dining tables, and alcohol was found in a refrigerator. A separate exercise facility was also in place, and a simulator for golf practice was under construction.
Luxury vehicles were also found in nearby parking areas, according to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman believes the buildings were originally built as lodging for prison staff but that there are indications some of them were used as living quarters for inmates.
The team found an inmate inside one of the buildings. According to the local Ombudsman’s announcement, the inmate said they had paid money to use the facility. The exact amount and the arrangement require further investigation.
“There are clear indications that some inmates were using special facilities unavailable to ordinary inmates,” Ombudsman commissioner Syafrida Rahmawati Rasahan said. “We found inmates in those residential buildings.”
The Ombudsman also flagged security problems inside the prison. An unlocked exit was found behind the residential buildings, with a passage leading toward a bamboo grove and a waste disposal site.
The team had initially planned to inspect the regular cellblocks but was blocked from entering by prison officials. While looking around the grounds, the team came upon the facilities in question.
Prison Calls Them ‘Staff Facilities’; Warden and Four Others Suspended
The prison maintains that the space was lodging for staff, not a luxury facility for inmates.
But the Ombudsman believes some inmates may have received preferential treatment, given that a prisoner was actually staying inside one of the buildings.
Attention has also turned to whether money changed hands over access to the facilities, as the prison holds inmates convicted on corruption charges.
After the allegations surfaced, the government ministry overseeing Indonesia’s correctional authorities removed five officials, including the warden of Cibinong Prison, from their duties.
Authorities are investigating whether inmates gave money or goods to prison officials in exchange for access to the separate facilities.
As the controversy grew, authorities began demolishing the facilities on the 30th of last month. Large televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators and exercise equipment were among the items carried out of the site.
Cibinong Prison is about a 90-minute drive from Jakarta and is known as one of the country’s overcrowded facilities, holding more than 1,800 inmates.
The case has also fueled calls in Indonesia to stamp out the practice of wealthy or influential inmates receiving separate privileges behind bars.