CIBINONG, Indonesia: Indonesian authorities razed luxury prison “villas” outside Jakarta on Wednesday (Sep 30) where whisky and a big-screen TV were seized from a complex, complete with a pool and a gym, in which inmates were allegedly paying to live.
Officers raided the prison and emptied several “villas” of furniture, bottles of alcohol and at least one big-screen TV, before taking an excavator to 10 of the units and smashing them to the ground.
The Indonesian ombudsman’s office said last week an inspection uncovered a cluster of indulgently furnished apartments inhabited by inmates on the grounds of the Cibinong men’s prison in Bogor, south of the capital.
The inmates allegedly paid rent for the accommodation complete with couches, large beds, TVs, fridges and even dining tables.
Photos released by the ombudsman’s office after an unannounced visit showed bottles of beer, whisky and other alcohol in a fridge door of one of the units described by the team as “villas”.
An unlocked access gate linked the yard around the units to a bamboo forest, making it possible for the prisoners to enter and exit at will.
There was a “luxury car parking area” on the grounds, according to ombudsman official Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan, as well as a swimming pool and a gym.
A golf simulator was also being built for the residents.
“We found (the premises) occupied by inmates,” Syafrida told a news conference last Thursday.
“So we strongly suspect that in Cibinong correctional facility, there are special facilities for some inmates.”
