Claiming to Be Clean, Sony Sonjaya's Lies Exposed, Prompting Elza Syarief to Resign as His Lawyer

Senior lawyer Elza Syarief has officially resigned as the legal counsel for Sony Sonjaya, a suspect in an alleged corruption case related to the free nutritious meal programme (MBG). The decision was made after Elza admitted to discovering a number of facts that contradicted her client’s initial claims. The resignation also ends the legal assistance previously provided by Elza to the former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). According to her, the trust that formed the basis of the lawyer-client relationship could no longer be maintained. Elza Syarief revealed that from the outset, Sony Sonjaya had convinced her that he was not involved in the corrupt practices currently under investigation. In fact, Sony Sonjaya had reportedly claimed he was clean, which led Elza Syarief to agree to provide legal assistance. However, after receiving information from several parties, Elza Syarief’s view changed. She stated that she obtained statements that differed from Sony Sonjaya’s initial claims, leading her to decide to no longer be part of his legal team. “Because Mr Sony was not honest and had previously sworn he was clean. But according to information from several people, especially Asep, he (Sony) received money from Asep on a regular basis, so how can he be a Justice Collaborator (JC),” Elza said on Tuesday, 16 June 2026. This statement became the primary reason Elza Syarief revoked the power of attorney previously granted to Sony Sonjaya. According to her, a lawyer requires complete honesty from a client in order to formulate a defence strategy based on actual facts. Elza Syarief confirmed that her resignation had officially taken effect as of 15 June 2026. “I resigned effective 15 June,” she said. Apart from the issue of information disclosure, Elza Syarief also admitted to feeling uncomfortable during the legal assistance process. She assessed that certain parties were attempting to limit her access to important information related to the case. According to Elza Syarief, open access to information is crucial for a legal counsel to understand the case thoroughly. Without complete information, the legal assistance process cannot be carried out optimally. This feeling of discomfort intensified when she felt her presence was actually considered disruptive by several parties involved in the case.