Indonesia suspends five officials over luxury apartments for inmates

Warden among five officials suspended over the discovery of an apartment-style compound for inmates at the Cibinong prison.

Indonesia's prisons have long been accused of giving wealthy or well-connected inmates special treatment in return for bribes [File: Ed Wray/Getty Images]

A prison warden in Indonesia has been suspended, along with four other officials, after investigators discovered a compound of luxury apartment-style residences allegedly used by inmates at a penitentiary near the capital, Jakarta.

The action was announced on Tuesday by Rudi Setiawan, the inspector general of the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections. “We have suspended five structural officials, including the Cibinong prison chief, who are suspected of being responsible for the incident uncovered by the Ombudsman,” he said.

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Dozens of inmates and prison employees have been questioned, he said.

The units, more than 10 in all, stood apart from the regular cellblocks at Cibinong prison in Bogor, near Jakarta.

They were found on September 23 during a surprise inspection by Indonesia’s Ombudsman, the government’s public-service watchdog.

Investigators said the residences contained air-conditioners, big-screen televisions, refrigerators, sofas and dining areas. They also reported finding a gym, a golf simulator under construction, and luxury vehicles on the grounds.

“We found strong indications that certain inmates had access to special facilities unavailable to ordinary prisoners,” Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan, an Ombudsman member, said at a news conference.

“We encountered inmates inside the residential compound and discovered facilities resembling homestays, apartments and villas rather than prison housing,” she said.

The buildings were originally intended as official housing for prison personnel, but investigators are examining whether they were converted into unauthorised accommodations for inmates.

The incident has drawn widespread public attention and renewed scrutiny of Indonesia’s prisons, which have long faced allegations that wealthy or well-connected inmates can obtain preferential treatment through bribery.

The Cibinong prison, which sits on 4 hectares (10 acres), holds a mix of inmates, including people convicted of corruption and other high-profile prisoners. The identities of those who lived in the compound have not been officially disclosed.

Lawmakers, anticorruption activists and watchdog groups have urged authorities to identify which prisoners occupied the facilities and whether prison officials accepted payments in exchange for the privileges.

The case is the latest embarrassment for the Indonesian corrections system , which has struggled for years with overcrowding, corruption and repeated allegations that affluent inmates can buy privileges unavailable to the broader prison population.

An investigation into Indonesia’s prisons in 2010 already found that some inmates live a life of luxury behind bars.

因在锡比农监狱发现囚犯公寓式住所，包括典狱长在内的五名官员被停职。

长期以来，印尼监狱一直被指控通过收受贿赂，给予富有或人脉广泛的囚犯特殊待遇。[图片：Ed Wray/Getty Images]

印尼一名监狱长和另外四名官员被停职，此前调查人员在首都雅加达附近的一所监狱发现了一处豪华公寓式住宅区，据称是囚犯使用的住所。

移民和惩教部监察长鲁迪·塞蒂亚万周二宣布了这项行动。他说：“我们已暂停五名部门官员的职务，其中包括西比农监狱监狱长，他们涉嫌对监察专员办公室揭露的这起事件负有责任。”

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他说，已有数十名囚犯和监狱工作人员接受了讯问。

这些单元共有 10 多个，与雅加达附近茂物市 Cibinong 监狱的普通牢房区分开来。

9月23日，印尼政府公共服务监督机构——监察专员公署进行突击检查时发现了这些物品。

调查人员称，这些住宅内配备了空调、大屏幕电视、冰箱、沙发和用餐区。他们还报告说，在住宅区内发现了健身房、正在建设中的高尔夫模拟器以及豪华车辆。

监察专员公署成员 Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan 在新闻发布会上表示：“我们发现有强有力的迹象表明，某些囚犯可以使用普通囚犯无法使用的特殊设施。”

“我们在住宅区内遇到了囚犯，发现那里的设施更像是民宿、公寓和别墅，而不是监狱宿舍，”她说。

这些建筑物最初是为监狱工作人员建造的官方住房，但调查人员正在调查它们是否被改建成了未经授权的囚犯住所。

该事件引起了公众的广泛关注，并再次引发了对印尼监狱的审查。长期以来，印尼监狱一直面临着有钱或有关系的囚犯可以通过行贿获得优待的指控。

西比农监狱占地4公顷（10英亩），关押着形形色色的囚犯，包括贪污犯和其他一些备受瞩目的罪犯。监狱内囚犯的身份尚未正式公开。

立法者、反腐败活动人士和监督组织敦促当局查明哪些囚犯占用了这些设施，以及监狱官员是否收受贿赂以换取这些特权。

这起案件是印尼惩教系统最新的一次尴尬事件。多年来，该系统一直饱受监狱过度拥挤、腐败以及富裕囚犯可以通过购买特权获得其他囚犯无法获得的特权等问题的困扰。

2010 年对印度尼西亚监狱的一项调查发现，一些囚犯在狱中过着奢华的生活。