AGO Rejects Justice Collaborator Status for Sony Sonjaya, Deeming Him Most Responsible in MBG Case

The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has dashed the hopes of former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya, to receive special treatment as a justice collaborator (JC) in the alleged corruption case of the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG). The AGO confirmed the request was rejected after investigators assessed that Sony was not a suitable figure to obtain such status. In the latest developments of the investigation, the AGO instead views Sony as one of the key figures in the case being pursued. Investigators stated his role was not at the lower level, but rather he was a party with significant responsibility in a process now suspected of causing state financial losses.

The Director of Investigation for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, said the decision was made after investigators evaluated the application submitted by Sony. ‘We have not been able to fulfil the Justice Collaborator request, or rather we have rejected the Justice Collaborator request from suspect SS (Sony Sonjaya),’ he stated on Tuesday, 23 June 2026. One of the investigators’ main considerations was Sony’s position, which is considered to have played a central role in determining and verifying the points for the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), which is now a focus of the MBG corruption investigation. ‘We concluded that firstly, SS is the party most responsible for determining or verifying the SPPG points,’ he said.

This assessment led investigators to conclude that Sony did not meet the requirements as a cooperating perpetrator to expose a larger actor behind the case. On the contrary, from the interim investigation results, Sony is considered an important part of the alleged practice of buying and selling SPPG points currently under investigation. Not only that, the AGO also highlighted Sony’s attitude during the examination process. Investigators assessed that the suspect has not yet shown an admission of the acts he is accused of. Yet, admission is one of the fundamental requirements for a person to obtain justice collaborator status. ‘In yesterday’s examination, there was nothing that investigators considered as the person concerned admitting his actions as alleged,’ he said. Nevertheless, the AGO acknowledged that it still appreciated the information provided by Sony during the investigation process. These statements were said to have helped investigators unravel the construction of the MBG corruption case, which continues to develop.