AGO Rejects Sony Sonjaya's Justice Collaborator Bid in MBG Corruption Case
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has rejected the justice collaborator (JC) application submitted by former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya (SS), in connection with the alleged corruption case involving the governance of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.
Director of Investigations for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, explained that granting JC status is strictly bound by formal regulations, namely Law Number 31 of 2014 on the Protection of Witnesses and Victims and Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) Number 4 of 2011. The two main requirements are that the applicant is not the main perpetrator and must admit to all of their actions.
“So, what is meant by a justice collaborator is a witness who is also a perpetrator, a cooperating witness who reveals something bigger. There are several requirements, but the most important for us is first, the person concerned is not the main perpetrator. Second, the person concerned admits their actions,” Syarief stated at the AGO Round Building on Tuesday (23/6).
Based on the case review and examination of evidence, the investigative team concluded that Sony Sonjaya held a central role in the construction of this case. His position was assessed as being at the forefront of determining technical policy, not in a secondary layer.
“Here we conclude that first, Mr. SS is the party most responsible for determining or verifying the SPPG points, thus the person concerned is the main perpetrator, not a second-liner who would expose the perpetrator above him,” Syarief clarified.
He added that the corruption charges targeted by investigators include the practice of buying and selling distribution points and state financial losses in the procurement of goods and services. In the context of the JC application submitted, Sony Sonjaya was precisely the main intellectual actor in the point trading sector.
Besides his status as the main perpetrator, the investigative team noted that Sony Sonjaya has not yet fulfilled the second requirement, which is consistency in admitting the criminal acts alleged by the investigating prosecutors during the examination process.
“In yesterday’s examination, there was indeed nothing that the investigators considered as the person concerned admitting his actions as alleged. On that basis, we cannot yet grant the justice collaborator request, or we reject the justice collaborator application from suspect SS,” he said.
Although the JC application was rejected, Syarief assured that all information documents or new substantive statements presented by Sony Sonjaya are still valued. The investigative team will use them as valuable guidance to fully illuminate the entire architecture of the MBG governance corruption case until it is resolved.
“All information is greatly appreciated and can be used to shed light on this case. However, regarding justice collaborator status, we are bound by the existing rules,” he concluded.