JAKARTA; Calls are mounting for a thorough investigation into who enjoyed allegedly luxurious cell facilities at Cibinong Penitentiary in West Java after five prison officials were suspended following a raid by the Indonesian Ombudsman, renewing concerns over entrenched corruption in the country’s prison system.
According to the Ombudsman, numerous inmates were suspected of occupying a cluster of at least 10 houses within the correctional facility complex in Bogor regency, West Java.
But their identities remain undisclosed The independent body conducted the raid last Wednesday, sweeping through the cluster, which was found to contain apartment-style rooms equipped with air-conditioning, televisions, sofas and refrigerators.
The Ombudsman also pointed to alleged bribes paid in exchange for the prison perks, with one inmate reportedly paying Rp 160,000 (US$8.93) a week to enjoy the privilege.
A gym, golf simulator and parking lots filled with luxury cars were also found during the raid.
“We ask the Immigration and Corrections Ministry to immediately launch a thorough evaluation of every form of irregularity and violation that has occurred,” Ombudsman member Syafrida R. Rasahan said on Thursday.
Following the raid, the ministry inspected the facility and suspended five officials, including Cibinong Penitentiary head Wisnu Hani Putranto.
“We are conducting an investigation [internally] so that we can explain what happened and determine who should be held responsible,” the ministry’s inspector general, Rudi Setiawan, said on Saturday.
Rudi said the cluster mentioned by the Ombudsman was designated as an official residential complex for prison officials but might have been converted into luxurious cells.
The Ombudsman, meanwhile, suspected that the lavish facilities might not have been offered solely to “ordinary inmates”, citing luxurious items found around the complex.
The four-hectare Cibinong Penitentiary is home to numerous high-profile convicts, including businessman Harvey Moeis. He was sentenced to 20 years in 2025 for his role in one of the country’s biggest corruption cases that caused Rp 300 trillion in state losses.
Officers stand guard in front of houses inspected by the Indonesian Ombudsman at the Cibinong Penitentiary in Bogor regency, West Java, on Sept 24, 2026. West Java Corrections directorate head Yudi Suseno said the residences were designated for several prison officials, including the Cibinong penitentiary head.
Other convicts also include Ferdy Sambo, a disgraced National Police general, who was sentenced to death in 2023 for orchestrating the premeditated murder of his subordinate a year earlier.
Prison corruption, including cases involving wardens who allegedly accept bribes in exchange for special privileges for inmates, has been repeatedly reported in Indonesia.
Between 2014 and 2025, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) recorded alleged permit falsifications by multiple correctional facilities that allowed 13 convicts to travel unsupervised.
ICW legal and investigation head Wana Alamsyah told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that similar abuses of authority could still be occurring in prisons other than Cibinong, urging the ministry to conduct regular raids to uncover further violations.
According to Wana, the bribery allegations that enabled illicit access to these lavish facilities should also be investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as the scheme most likely involved prison officials.
“What we need to uncover is whether privileges are being traded inside the prison, who paid for them, who received the money and who granted the perks,” Wana said.
A KPK spokesperson was not immediately available for a comment. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
