Five Suspects Named as IDR 1.39 Trillion Free Nutritious Meal Programme Scandal Unravels

Jakarta – The Attorney General’s Office has revealed a new chapter in its investigation into alleged corruption pertaining to the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme within the National Nutrition Agency. To date, investigators have named five suspects comprising former high-ranking agency officials and private individuals allegedly involved in various irregularities within the trillion-rupiah programme.

This case not only implicates names of senior agency officials but also uncovers alleged practices of buying and selling Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit locations, the use of affiliated foundations, and the procurement of supporting assets for the programme, which is suspected to have undergone price mark-ups.

One element drawing significant public attention is the project to procure 21,801 electric motorcycles for the programme’s operations, valued at approximately IDR 1.39 trillion.

The Director of Investigation at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, announced the naming of three former agency officials as suspects after investigators found sufficient preliminary evidence. The three former officials named as suspects are Dadan Hindayana, former Head of the National Nutrition Agency; Sony Sonjaya, former Deputy Head for Operational Nutrition Fulfilment; and Lodewyk Pusung, former Deputy Head for Organisational Development and Institutional Support.

In addition to these three former officials, the Attorney General’s Office also named two private sector suspects: Asep Yusuf Somantri, a private party described as a close associate of Sony Sonjaya, and Andri Mulyono, a Commissioner of PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal. The total number of suspects in the alleged corruption case concerning the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme has now reached five.

During the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office allegedly discovered that a number of foundations serving as partners for the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units had links to the suspects. According to investigators, these foundations were allegedly affiliated and some were owned by or had connections with Dadan Hindayana, Sony Sonjaya, and Lodewyk Pusung. Aside from the suspected use of affiliated foundations, investigators also found indications of legal violations in the procurement process of goods and services within the agency.