Democrat Party on BGN Corruption: AHY Does Not Know Sony Sonjaya
The Democrat Party has issued a clarification regarding the association of Chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) with social media posts circulating amid the investigation into alleged corruption in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. The party stressed that AHY has no relationship with former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sony Sonjaya, who recently claimed to have mentioned more than 20 names to investigators. The clarification was made following the spread of a post that included the phrase ‘2 colonels proposed by AHY’ in a list of names linked to the case.
Head of the Democrat Party’s Strategic Communications Agency, Herzaky Mahendra Putra, stated that AHY does not know Sony Sonjaya. According to him, AHY has never met or communicated with the individual in question. ‘The Chairman of the Democrat Party, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), does not know Mr Sony Sonjaya. AHY has never met or communicated with Mr Sony Sonjaya,’ Herzaky said in a written statement on Tuesday.
‘AHY has never proposed, recommended, asked for help, or requested support from Mr Sony Sonjaya regarding the SPPG programme or any other matter, either directly or indirectly,’ he added. He also highlighted that the post did not explain who was meant by the phrase ‘AHY’ or ‘2 colonels’. However, if the intended person was Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as chairman of the Democrat Party, Herzaky stated the association had no factual basis.
According to Herzaky, the phrase ‘2 colonels proposed by AHY’ cannot be linked to AHY because it is not supported by verifiable facts. ‘Therefore, the phrase ’2 colonels proposed by AHY’, if it concerns Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, can be confirmed as slander and contains no truth at all,’ he said. On the same occasion, Herzaky stated that the Democrat Party continues to respect press freedom and supports professional journalism.
However, he expressed hope that any information mentioning the names of individuals or institutions is conveyed accurately, fairly, and based on verified facts. ‘The Democrat Party respects press freedom and supports professional journalism. However, we hope that any information mentioning the names of individuals or institutions is conveyed accurately, fairly, and based on verified facts,’ Herzaky said.
Previously, former Deputy Head of BGN Sony Sonjaya had applied to become a justice collaborator in the alleged case of governance corruption within the MBG programme. Sony’s attorney, Krisna Murti, said the justice collaborator application was made to help investigators uncover other parties allegedly involved in the case. According to him, in the examinations that have been conducted, Sony has mentioned more than 20 names suspected of being connected to the case. In this matter, the Attorney General’s Office has named former Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana, Sony Sonjaya, and Lodewyk Pusung as suspects. Investigators suspect irregularities occurred in the governance of the MBG programme, including the appointment of SPPG partners who did not meet requirements and price mark-ups in several procurement items.