Corruption Convict Caught Having Coffee in Cafe, DPR's Deputy Chair of Commission XIII Suspects Bribery of Prison Officials

Jakarta - Deputy Chair of DPR RI’s Commission XIII, Andreas Hugo Pareira, has highlighted the viral incident of a corruption convict caught having coffee at a cafe in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. He suspects the practice of bribery involving correctional institution (lapas) officers, enabling the convict to wander freely outside the detention facility. “Inmates or convicts who can roam outside the detention centre or lapas can only occur if there is collusion with the lapas or detention centre officers,” Andreas told Kompas.com on Friday (17/4/2026). According to him, the presence of the convict outside the lapas cannot be separated from the role of the officers. Therefore, he believes a thorough investigation is needed to uncover potential procedural violations up to bribery practices. “So, the presence of the convict in Sultra who can roam in a cafe must be investigated more deeply,” Andreas stressed. The PDI-P politician also touched on the possibility of special permissions being abused by lapas parties. “Including up to what level the ‘special permission’ case was given so that the convict in question could stroll freely in the cafe,” he said. He also urged the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjenpas) to thoroughly investigate this case and report the results openly to the public. “The prison head must be held accountable, while officers at every level who facilitated the escape must receive strict sanctions. Commission XIII of the DPR urges the Director General of Corrections to investigate this case and explain it to the public,” Andreas explained. Furthermore, Andreas reminded that handling this case is not sufficient with just sanctions on individuals. He urged a comprehensive evaluation of the lapas system, including exit permission mechanisms and convict supervision.