Foreign Media Highlight Arrests of Dadan and Silmy, Underscore Corruption Crackdown

A number of foreign media outlets have once again focused on Indonesia, highlighting not only the weakening rupiah but also ongoing legal cases. The French news agency AFP reported on the arrest of Dadan Hindayana, the former head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). In an article entitled ‘Indonesia arrests sacked head of free meal scheme’, the agency stated that Indonesian officials had arrested the former head of the country’s free school meal programme, which has been plagued by mass food poisoning cases and corruption allegations, a day after he was dismissed. The multi-billion-dollar programme, which was heavily publicised, was a flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign. Prabowo dismissed Dadan Hindayana, an entomologist who had led the National Nutrition Agency since its inception in August 2024, along with two of his deputies on Tuesday, and all three were detained in Jakarta on Wednesday. AFP reported how Dadan and two other BGN leaders committed crimes in the management of the institution, noting that their offices and homes were raided by officers. The watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) filed a complaint against Dadan last month over alleged budget irregularities. The agency further quoted the Director of Investigation at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stating that foundations appointed by the three defendants to oversee public kitchens were allegedly used as tools for crime. These foundations received billions of rupiah in incentives daily and were affiliated with and owned by the suspects. The three individuals are also accused of overseeing the illegal procurement of electric motorcycles, shoes, tablets, and televisions. They face a potential life sentence if found guilty. Separately, Reuters reported on the arrest of Vice Minister for Immigration and Corrections, Silmy Karim, on charges of corrupt practices in the administration of immigration documents. In an article entitled ‘Indonesia arrest deputy immigration minister, graft charges’, a spokesperson for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed the agency had arrested the country’s deputy immigration minister, making him the second high-ranking government official in two days to face corruption charges. The arrest came a day after the Attorney General’s Office detained Dadan Hindayana, the former head of the agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meal programme, naming him a suspect in a corruption case related to the programme’s governance and procurement. Reuters reported that Silmy was interrogated at the KPK office from Wednesday evening, emerging roughly 10 hours later on Thursday morning in handcuffs and an orange jacket, indicating he had been named a suspect, before being taken to a detention centre. The alleged corruption occurred between 2023 and 2024, during which period Silmy served as the director-general of immigration affairs under Prabowo’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, the agency quoted KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo as saying. The agency has also identified seven other suspects linked to the case, with further details expected to be released on Thursday afternoon, underscoring President Prabowo’s pledge to tackle corruption since taking office in 2024.