Ombudsman Suspects Ferdy Sambo is Enjoying Luxury Rooms at Cibinong Prison, Ditjenpas Denies

BOGOR, KOMPAS.com - The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia suspects that Ferdy Sambo, convicted of premeditated murder, is among the inmates enjoying special facilities at Class IIA Cibinong Prison, Bogor Regency, West Java.

However, the West Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjenpas) denied these allegations.

Head of the West Java Ditjenpas Regional Office Yudi Suseno said that investigations by the team as of Thursday (24/9/2026) have not found any information indicating that Sambo uses special facilities.

"Until now, there is no information or findings from the team pointing in that direction," Yudi said in Cibinong on Thursday.

According to Yudi, Sambo remains in a room within the general housing block of Cibinong Prison with the same facilities as other inmates.

"It's the same, exactly the same. There are no special features. The rooms are as is, consistent with the building's prototype. I believe nothing is exceptional; all are the same," he added.

Ombudsman suspects Sambo also uses luxury facilities

The suspicion involving Sambo was raised by Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia member Fikri Yasin after conducting a surprise inspection (sidak) at Cibinong Prison on Wednesday (23/9/2026).

“Our suspicion is that Ferdy Sambo could be among those using these luxury facilities,” Fikri said on Thursday (24/9/2026), as quoted by Tribunnews.

Nonetheless, Fikri emphasized that the Ombudsman has not yet confirmed the identities of inmates using those facilities.

In other words, the suspicion about Sambo has not been based on findings that definitively place the former Chief of the Division of Profession and Security (Kadiv Propam) of the Indonesian National Police in the buildings inspected by the Ombudsman.

During the inspection, the Ombudsman found several structures at the rear area of the prison that featured apartment-like facilities.

"Of course, we started to wonder why we were being obstructed. When we arrived there, it turned out there were many houses suspected to be occupied by inmates," Fikri said.

Ombudsman says occupants pay fees

The Ombudsman also received information that inmates occupying one of the buildings had to make payments.

However, the Ombudsman has yet to determine the amount paid or to whom the money was given.

"The Ombudsman has not confirmed the identities of the occupants and requested that the special facilities be dismantled before the next inspection in less than a month," Fikri explained.

Another Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia member, Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan, also previously reported that the team discovered a villa-like area near the warden's house.

"We also found a settlement behind, near the warden’s house, with buildings resembling fully equipped villas, and they have occupants, who turned out to be inmates. Lastly, there is another settlement we could not enter, but we managed to photograph it from outside," she said.

Luxury cars including Alphard

Besides buildings resembling apartments, the Ombudsman spotted several luxury vehicles in the inspected area.

Fikri mentioned that one of these vehicles was a Toyota Alphard.

"They have special rooms, they have escorts, and so on. For example, if this is an inmate area, we noticed several luxury cars parked there, including an Alphard. Naturally, we have questions," he said.

However, the Ombudsman has not verified the owners of these vehicles or whether they are connected to any particular inmate.

Ditjenpas: Sambo remains in housing block

Ditjenpas West Java rejected the claim that Sambo uses the special facilities highlighted by the Ombudsman.

According to Yudi, Sambo is still serving his sentence in the regular housing block.

He assured that no special rooms or different facilities have been provided to Sambo.

Yudi also mentioned that Sambo currently participates extensively in religious activities during his time in prison.

"He is actually more active in the church which was recently inaugurated. So he is mostly involved in religious and spiritual activities," he said.

Sambo is said to serve as a church administrator and is undertaking education during his sentence.

Ditjenpas calls buildings official housing

Yudi clarified that the area inspected by the Ombudsman lies within the Assimilation and Education Facilities (SAE) zone.

According to Ditjenpas, some of the buildings in question are official residential houses.

"What the Ombudsman team visited were official houses with official residential permits," Yudi explained.

Nevertheless, Ditjenpas is continuing to investigate the various reports that arose following the Ombudsman's inspection.

Director General of Corrections Mashudi earlier said a team has been formed to examine the facilities, administration, and the implementation of service standards and security at Cibinong Prison.

“We have formed a team to conduct inspections and verifications of facilities, infrastructure, administration, as well as the implementation of service and security standards at Cibinong Prison,” Mashudi said.

He stated that all information received from the Ombudsman will be used as material for examination.

“We respect the supervisory role of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia. Every suggestion is certainly used as an evaluation material. At the same time, all information must be fully verified so that conclusions are truly based on facts and prevailing regulations,” he stated.

Mashudi asserted that all inmates must receive treatment in accordance with regulations.

“Each inmate has rights and obligations according to regulations. Therefore, if there is information regarding treatment or facilities suspected to be non-compliant, we will investigate and ascertain the facts,” he added.

Thus, the Ombudsman's suspicion that Sambo is enjoying the facilities remains unproven.

The Ombudsman has not confirmed the identities of the occupants of the inspected buildings, while Ditjenpas stated that their investigation so far has found no indication that Sambo occupies special rooms or facilities.

Parts of this article have appeared on Tribunnews.com under the title "Ombudsman Suspects Ferdy Sambo Enjoys Luxury Facilities at Cibinong Prison" and on KOMPAS.com under the title "Ditjenpas States Ferdy Sambo Remains in Cibinong Prison Block, No Special Apartment Facilities".