Law enforcement officer: This is a sting operation (OTT), please come with us.
Judge: You've been proven to have corrupted 150 million rupiah, you're sentenced to eight years in prison!
Sign reads: Sadistic loving prison.
Corruption convict: Turns out it's more comfortable than home.
Indonesia's Ombudsman has uncovered a cluster of villa-like residences, luxury facilities, alcohol bottles and luxury cars inside the Cibinong Class IIA Prison in Bogor, West Java, raising questions over whether some facilities were being commercially used by inmates.
The findings following an unannounced inspection on September 23 when a team from the Ombudsman's office found several buildings resembling villas, homestays and row houses, as well as a parking area, gym, swimming pool and a golf simulator under construction.
"The facilities appear to have different purposes, but there also seems to be some standardisation, similar to accommodation with suite, deluxe and superior rooms", Ombudsman member Syafrida R Rasahan said at a news conference.
One of the buildings contained a sofa, refrigerator, television and dining table. The team also found used alcohol bottles and alcoholic beverages inside a refrigerator.
Rasahan said the team encountered an inmate inside one of the buildings who told investigators that he had paid to stay there, although he did not disclose the amount.
The team also documented several vehicles it described as luxury cars saying it would coordinate with police to identify the registered owners and determine if the vehicles were connected to inmates at the prison.
Meanwhile, the West Java Directorate General of Corrections claimed that the facilities had legitimate official uses. West Java Corrections Office head Yudi Suseno said the area was part of the prison's Educational and Assimilation Facilities and included official residences authorized under decrees issued by the director general.
He said authorities would investigate if the facilities were found to have been used improperly.
[Abridged from a Jakarta Globe article titled Ombudsman finds luxury rooms, cars and golf simulator at W. Java prison.]
