Jakarta. An office for a cattle-fattening program, bottles of whisky and beer, a corruption convict's framed photograph and a disputed golf simulator are among the unusual findings fueling controversy over buildings near Cibinong Prison in Bogor, West Java.

The facilities came under scrutiny after the Indonesian Ombudsman conducted an unannounced inspection on Sept. 23 and raised concerns about a suspected “luxury cluster” behind the prison.

Director General of Corrections Mashudi told a House of Representatives hearing Monday that one bungalow-like structure identified during the inspection was actually an operations office for a cattle-fattening program.

“The building considered to resemble lodging is an operations office for cattle-fattening activities,” Mashudi told House Commission XIII, which oversees immigration, corrections and human rights.

He told the hearing, streamed live by TV Parlemen, that the facility was built using the state budget.

Mashudi did not elaborate during the hearing on the scale of the cattle-fattening program or explain where the livestock associated with the operation was kept.

The explanation added another unusual detail to a controversy that began when Ombudsman inspectors entered the area behind the prison.

Video from the inspection showed prison personnel arguing with Ombudsman officials and attempting to prevent them from entering parts of the compound even after the inspectors identified themselves and presented documents authorizing the inspection.

Whisky, Beer and a Convict's Photograph
Inside one of the residences, inspectors found household amenities including a sofa, television, refrigerator and dining table.

Mashudi told lawmakers that three bottles of whisky and one bottle of beer found in a refrigerator belonged to the prison's head of security and order, while the furniture and other household items were personal belongings of employees.

Another finding that drew lawmakers' attention was a framed photograph of businessman and corruption convict Jimmy Masrin.

Jimmy is serving an eight-year prison sentence in a corruption case involving financing from the Indonesia Eximbank (LPEI).

Mashudi said the photograph had been confiscated from Jimmy during a security inspection because it was prohibited inside the prison and was subsequently kept in one of the official residences.

The explanation did little to satisfy several lawmakers, who questioned why a confiscated framed photograph of an inmate would be stored in an employee's residence.

Golf Simulator or Lockers?
The Ombudsman also reported finding what it believed was a golf simulator under construction, along with a gym and a pool in the area.

Corrections officials dispute that interpretation.

Mashudi told lawmakers that the area identified as a future golf simulator was actually being prepared for the installation of storage lockers.

The conflicting accounts are among the issues being examined in an investigation launched after the Ombudsman's inspection.

Mashudi said there are 16 official-residence buildings around the prison complex. Three are registered as state assets, while 13 buildings near the Ciliwung River have not been recorded in the government's state-asset management system.

Authorities are investigating the administrative status, ownership and use of the 13 buildings.

Ombudsman member Syafrida Rasahan previously said the buildings resembled homestays and contained kitchen sets, sofas, refrigerators, televisions and dining tables.

Several vehicles were also found parked outside the buildings.

The Ombudsman raised additional security concerns because the rear of the housing area connects to relatively open land, including a bamboo-covered area and a waste-disposal site.

Two Corruption Convicts Found in Area
Mashudi acknowledged during Monday's hearing that two corruption convicts, Ahmad Albani and Hasan Tjhie, were in the area when Ombudsman inspectors arrived.

Both are serving 10-year prison sentences in the PT Timah corruption case.

Mashudi denied that the two men were secretly living in the houses to escape normal prison conditions, saying they were in the area as part of assimilation and education activities.

In Indonesia's corrections system, assimilation is a reintegration program under which eligible inmates can participate in activities intended to prepare them for an eventual return to society. Both inmates have been serving less than two years in prison.

The Ombudsman has called for the controversial buildings to be dismantled as authorities investigate their use.

No CCTV around Buildings
Cibinong Prison Warden Wisnu Hani Putranto has been suspended following the Ombudsman's findings and appeared alongside corrections officials at Monday's House hearing.

Lawmakers repeatedly pressed Wisnu to explain the facilities and security arrangements around the buildings.

Asked about surveillance, Wisnu acknowledged that no CCTV cameras had been installed around the row of residences.

“We only installed CCTV in the blocks inside the prison,” he said.

Prosperous Justice Party lawmaker Yanuar Arif Wibowo asked whether cameras were necessary to improve security and surveillance around the complex.

Wisnu agreed that they were.

“If there had been CCTV there, we should already know who was going in and out and who was bringing those items in,” Yanuar said. “We have to explain this to the public as clearly as possible.”

Corrections authorities have questioned 55 inmates as part of the investigation, including 33 corruption convicts and former police general Ferdy Sambo, who is serving a life sentence for the premeditated murder of his subordinate, Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat.

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