Jakarta – A long-time golfing partner of former Indonesian dictator Suharto has been frequently absent from the island prison where he is serving time for corruption.

Former forestry magnate Bob Hasan is serving six years for corruption at Batu prison on Nusa Kambangan island, off the south coast of Central Java.

The Kompas daily, Indonesia's largest, cited police records as showing Hasan had been out once or twice a month for health checks or "other needs". The paper said the absences lasted one or two days.

Mr Hasan's latest absence began on Tuesday when he travelled to Jakarta for a heart check-up at a hospital, prison chief Sumantri was quoted by Kompas as saying. He said Hasan, guarded by six police officers, was to return to the prison on Thursday.

But the newspaper quoted Central Java police chief Inspector General Didi Widayadi as saying police were worried about the absences because Mr Sumantri has often failed to co-ordinate with police when Hasan was released.

Insp Widayadi said police were considering calling Mr Sumantri to police headquarters to improve co-ordination. Mr Sumantri later told the media that the high-profile prisoner did indeed return on Thursday evening.

He cited Article 14 of Law/No. 12/1995 on correctional institutions, which allows a prisoner to have external medical treatment if prison doctors cannot provide it.

"What I have done is not odd in any way. Doctors here are not capable of handling his disease. He has therefore been allowed to receive medical treatment outside the prison," he said.

Hasan was sentenced in 2000 by a Jakarta court to six years in prison for a high-profile graft case. He is the only close associate of Mr Suharto ever to be jailed for graft.

Batu Prison is also home to Mr Suharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who is serving a 15-year sentence for murder and other crimes. There have been widespread rumours that Tommy, too, has either received special treatment or been frequently absent from the prison.

Mr Sumantri denied Insp Widayadi's charges. He said he always coordinated with police in the nearby port city of Cilacap to guard Hasan while he was absent from the prison.

Cilacap city's police chief Cmdr Arif Wahyunadi said his office had received numerous requests from the prison chief to escort Hasan when he left the prison.

"How frequently he [Bob Hasan] has left the prison, I don't recall," he said. Cmdr Arif said he could not refuse to provide a police guard for Hasan because legal procedures were in order.

"His health records are complete, so we have to be prepared to provide a guard for him," he said.