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View all search resultsLuxury behind bars
Removing prison wardens will never fix Indonesia’s broken justice system as long as luxury remains a commodity the corrupt can buy behind bars.
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Officials show a room raided by the Indonesian Ombudsman on Sept. 23 at Cibinong Penitentiary in Bogor, West Java. West Java Corrections directorate head Yudi Suseno said the 11 official residences were provided for several prison officials, including the Cibinong penitentiary head. (Antara/Yulius Satria Wijaya)
T
he discovery of luxurious accommodations within the Class IIA Cibinong Penitentiary in West Java by the Indonesian Ombudsman during an unannounced visit on Sept. 23 should not be a surprise. It simply evoked a sense of déjà vu and as time goes by the public will forget the scandal until the Ombudsman or another state agency uncover another case.
In this country, where corruption remains entrenched, there are 1001 dirty ways to get a lenient sentence, generous remissions or freedom to leave prison cells. At Cibinong Penitentiary, the Ombudsman found units within the prison grounds equipped with apartment-style conveniences—including air conditioning, televisions, plush sofas and access to amenities such as gyms and private quarters.
These residences were allegedly commercialized for affluent convicts, such as those found guilty in large-scale corruption cases. The findings stand in stark contrast to the grim reality of severe overcrowding and deprivation experienced by average inmates in many prisons across the country.
Among the big names serving time in Cibinong penitentiary are businessman Harvey Moeis, who was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison last year for his leading role in a graft scandal involving state tin company PT Timah, and former police general Ferdy Sambo, who is serving a life sentence for premeditated murder of his own aide in 2023.
More than an isolated lapse in judgment, the Cibinong scandal is undeniable evidence that systemic corruption within Indonesia’s penitentiary system persists unabated, continually undermining the integrity of the nation's justice system.
In fact, the country's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score dropped to 34 out of 100, a three-point decline from the previous year, ranking 109th out of 180 countries in the assessment released by Transparency International in February of this year. That is well below the global average of 42 and the Asia-Pacific average of 45.
From the high-profile scandal of Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung in 2018—when the Ombudsman discovered luxurious facilities for graft convict former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, to periodic raids across regional detention facilities, the narrative remains remarkably consistent: wealthy and politically connected offenders manage to purchase comfort, dignity and autonomy behind bars.
