Cipinang wardens seek legal action against ex-chief

JAKARTA (JP): About 100 employees of Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta staged a demonstration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on Thursday to demand legal proceedings against the then chief warden as he should be held responsible for the recent riot in the prison.

"(We) demand the accountability of (former) chief warden A. (Andronicus) Takasiliang for the tragedy that occurred in Cipinang Penitentiary on March 14," the employees said in their written statement, which was handed over to the ministry secretary-general, Hasanuddin.

The employees said legal action should be taken against Takasiliang to uphold the supremacy of law.

An inmate was killed and a section of the prison building was burned down during the riot that broke out when some 50 inmates were being transferred to Tangerang and Cirebon Penitentiaries in West Java.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Baharuddin Lopa immediately ordered the removal of Takasiliang.

The minister transferred him to Medan, where he was assigned as coordinator of penitentiaries in North Sumatra.

The Cipinang Penitentiary employees also complained about special treatment enjoyed by rich inmates, especially businessman Ricardo Gelael, a friend of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former president Soeharto.

Both Gelael and Tommy, who were commissioner and executive of PT Goro Batara Sakti respectively, were sentenced by the Supreme Court last year to 18 months in prison for a 1995 land exchange scam between the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and PT Goro Batara Sakti.

Tommy has been on the run since last November.

According to the employees, rich inmates were allowed to carry cell phones, and have kerosene stoves and televisions in their cells.

Ricardo had appointed several strong inmates as his bodyguards and distributed cell phones to them, detik.com quoted an employee as saying.

An employee, who asked for anonymity, said Ricardo frequently left the prison for "medical reasons," but unlike other inmates who had to use the penitentiary's ambulance to go to hospital, Gelael was picked up by his family in a luxury car.

In their written statement, the employees made 12 demands, which included a raid against sharp weapons, cell phones, stoves, televisions and other illicit items belonging to inmates.

They also demanded legal action against inmates who were involved in the riot and to freeze their right to remission, parole and assimilation for a year.

Hasanuddin said inmates are not allowed to have cell phones, but admitted there might be some who did.

A local newspaper reported last week that inmates who had cell phones often rented them at Rp 2,000 per minute.

The new warden, Asep Firdaus, had earlier acknowledged that one of the reasons behind the riot was the social gap between the rich and poor inmates. (sim)