Prison Chief Caught on Camera with Convict at Club

KUTA May 26/2011

A prison chief accused of accepting bribes to allow a convicted drug dealer out of Bangli Prison was caught on CCTV partying with the convict at a Kuta nightclub, police have revealed.

Prison chief Widiawan was removed from his post last week after it emerged that a man arrested for drug dealing in the car park of Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar on May 8 should have been in his cell at Bangli at the time.

The dealer – 31-year-old Rudi Saputra Siregar – is two years into an 11-year sentence for a previous ecstasy deal. He told police after his arrest that he had bribed Widiawan Rp1 million (US$117) to leave the prison the previous day, and also said that the prison chief had then joined him to party with drugs and prostitutes in a private room at the Bosche nightclub in Kuta.

Police have since said they have been able to identify Widiawan on CCTV seized from the club.

“From the CCTV we know that Widiawan was at a drug party at a club with two ‘ordered girls,’” Badung Police chief Dwi Suseno told reporters.

Suseno said the prison chief and drug dealer were joined in Room 16 at the club by two girls, identified by their initials, SV and P. The girls and other members of club staff have been officially question by police.

“They admitted that one of the men in the room was the head of the prison,” Suseno said, adding that Widiawan had not yet been arrested.

“The relevant authorities are still conducting an internal investigation. When the right time comes, we will arrest him,” he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Bali office of the Department of Justice and Human Rights, Taswem Tarib, said he had sent an official report of Widiawan’s behaviour to his boss, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar.

“I have forwarded a letter very forcefully stating that the one who has been removed from his post [Widiawan] should never be given another position of high responsibility as long as he lives. This has already been reported to the minister and to the director-general of prisons,” he said.

(X the Bali Times)