Electric Motorcycles for Free Meal Programme Marked Up by Rp 47 Million Per Unit

The corruption case surrounding the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) involves multiple layers of misconduct. In the procurement cluster, investigators uncovered a mark-up scheme for electric motorcycles intended for the programme’s transportation needs. The Director of Investigation at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that BGN planned to procure 21,801 electric motorcycle units in 2025. Internally, BGN officials manipulated the estimated unit price, which was then further inflated by the sole supplier company to match the approved budget ceiling. The final mark-up per electric motorcycle unit reached Rp 47 million, with the vehicles bearing the EMMO brand. BGN, as the programme’s main organiser, paid a total of Rp 1.1 trillion for the entire procurement. The fifth suspect, Andrew Mulyono, Commissioner of PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal (YAT), was detained for his role. His company acquired PT ASE to become the sole supplier of the 21,801 electric motorcycles. According to investigators, Mulyono unlawfully inflated the price per unit to approach the available budget ceiling, after the internal BGN officials and the suspect had pre-conditioned the owner estimate and terms of reference. He received full payment based on a manipulated handover report, which falsely claimed the motorcycles were assembled and met specifications, whereas the actual price and specifications did not meet BGN’s standards. The scheme began when Mulyono, as controller of PT YAT, met with then-BGN Deputy Head Lodewijk Pusung in 2025 to present his company as a potential supplier. After gaining inside information about the procurement plan, Mulyono actively pressured the BGN’s Commitment Making Officer in February 2025 to expedite the project, despite his company lacking the required official dealership and workshop. He circumvented this by acquiring PT ASE, a known electric vehicle supplier. This case is part of a broader investigation into MBG corruption, which includes a cluster on the buying and selling of partner locations for meal production and distribution to 83 million beneficiaries, and a second cluster on the mark-up of procurement of facilities and services at BGN.