Ombudsman Brings Photo and Video Evidence to DPR, Exposes Luxury Facilities at Cibinong Prison
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- Ombudsman RI memastikan hadir di DPR pada 28 September untuk memaparkan temuan dugaan maladministrasi di Lapas Cibinong.
- Lembaga pengawas itu mengantongi rekaman visual dari inspeksi mendadak 23 September sebagai alat bukti utama.
- Perbedaan kondisi bangunan saat sidak Menteri Imigrasi dan Pemasyarakatan memunculkan dugaan pengondisian yang akan diuji di parlemen.
The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia has confirmed it will answer the DPR RI summons on Monday, 28 September, to present its findings on luxury facilities at the Class IIA Correctional Facility in Cibinong, West Java. Ombudsman member Fikri Yasin said the readiness comes with visual documents from a surprise inspection conducted the previous week.
"We are ready to appear at the DPR," Fikri said when contacted on Friday, 25 September. He said his office would confirm the findings and show the evidence to the relevant Commission at the Parliamentary Complex.
The move marks a new chapter in oversight of the prison, which is suspected of providing exclusive facilities to certain inmates. The Ombudsman considers the practice to amount to discriminatory treatment and maladministration, a finding that could shake up correctional governance if proven.
Fikri revealed that his office holds a number of photos and videos from the Wednesday, 23 September surprise inspection. According to him, the recordings are enough to answer doubts about the condition of the building, which recently appeared empty when Minister of Immigration and Corrections Agus Andrianto conducted a surprise inspection on Friday, 25 September.
The difference in the building's interior condition has drawn attention. When the Ombudsman team entered, the facilities appeared complete. However, during the minister's visit two days later, the room's contents were reported to be empty. Fikri did not take issue with the change and stressed that the visual data his office holds remains its reference point.
"For us, these photos and videos will be presented at the DPR. This evidence is enough to answer that Cibinong Prison committed discrimination and maladministration," Fikri said.
He even raised the possibility of staging for anyone trying to visit the prison after the surprise inspection. According to Fikri, clearing out items within 24 hours is easy to do. For that reason, the Ombudsman has anticipated this by documenting all findings from the start.
"If someone later says the car is gone, we have the photo. If the building is gone, here is the video," he said at a press conference on Thursday, 24 September. He added that his office is ready to face any form of obstruction, including having to "bet" with any party.
Head of the Badan Pengendalian Pembangunan dan Investigasi Khusus (Bappisus), Aris Marsudiyanto, responded to the issue of the facilities being empty. He said he would investigate the differing conditions that emerged. "The investigation is meant to determine what has changed and what has not. We are not people without experience," Aris said during Friday's inspection.
This case highlights weak internal oversight within the correctional system. If luxury facilities are indeed enjoyed by only a handful of inmates, that undermines the principle of equality before the law. The DPR, as an oversight partner, has the momentum to push for systemic reform, not merely to summon the Ombudsman as a formality.
For the public, the real test lies in whether the Ombudsman's findings will be followed up with concrete improvements or stop as an annual report. In the coming days, attention will turn to the DPR Commission III meeting room: will the photo and video evidence trigger correctional reform, or will it instead sink into political debate?
