Deputy Minister Denies Corruption Involvement in Free Nutritious Meal Programme
Deputy Minister for Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Wamendes PDT) Ahmad Riza Patria has denied involvement in the alleged corruption case of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme currently being handled by the Attorney General’s Office. He asserted that he neither owns nor manages any Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG), or nutritional service units.
According to detikNews, Riza stated that the Ministry of Villages and PDT’s involvement in the MBG programme is limited to supporting its implementation in accordance with several regulations, including Presidential Regulation Number 115 of 2025 on the Governance of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme. The ministry’s role also refers to Presidential Decree Number 28 of 2025 concerning the MBG Programme Implementation Coordination Team and the Head of the National Nutrition Agency’s Decree Number 64321 of 2026 regarding technical guidelines for programme implementation in remote areas.
Through these regulations, the Ministry of Villages and PDT has a role to support and collaborate in the implementation of the MBG programme, particularly in the aspect of village empowerment. “The role of the Ministry of Villages and PDT is to ensure that villages can participate in the food supply chain to support the Free Nutritious Meal programme so that the economic benefits can be felt by village communities. This role is coordinative and empowering, not in the form of appointing parties, managing kitchens or procurement processes. And to this day, I have not participated in managing or owning a single SPPG kitchen,” Riza Patria said when asked for confirmation by the media on Wednesday (17/6/2026).
Riza emphasised that he has no history of conflicts of interest with the MBG programme. He denied speculation that he is involved in the corruption case currently being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office. “I have never been involved in corrupt practices or unlawful acts that are being questioned in this case. In fact, during my tenure as Deputy Chair of Commissions II and V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Chair of the MPR Fraction from the Gerindra Party, Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, and Deputy Minister of Villages and PDT, I have never once used my position for personal gain, played with projects, or engaged in corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) up to this point,” he said.
Regarding the various circulating information, Riza Patria also asked the public to respect the ongoing legal process in the case and uphold the principle of presumption of innocence. The Gerindra politician expressed confidence that the government will conduct an evaluation to improve the governance of the MBG programme. He noted that the programme has helped in many aspects and stimulated the economic wheels within the community.
“Mr Prabowo’s goal for the Free Nutritious Meal programme is not only to impact the health sector in fulfilling nutrition and reducing stunting rates. MBG also plays a role in the education sector by improving learning concentration and student attendance at school. From the social sector, MBG plays a role in increasing the mutual cooperation of villagers to meet kitchen needs,” Riza explained. He added that the resulting economic impact is also quite significant as it involves various local business actors, from farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, MSMEs, village cooperatives, to Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes). “My commitment remains the same, which is to ensure that village communities obtain the maximum benefits from government development programmes, increasing village productivity, strengthening the economy and community involvement,” he concluded.