Foreign Media Highlight Arrests of Dadan and Silmy, Underscore Corruption Crackdown
Several foreign media outlets have once again turned their attention to Indonesia, focusing not only on the weakening Rupiah but also on recent legal cases.
French outlet AFP, for instance, highlighted the arrest of the former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana. The outlet published an article titled “Indonesia arrests sacked head of free meal scheme”.
“Indonesian officials have arrested the former head of the country’s free school meal programme, which has been hit by mass food poisoning cases and corruption allegations, just one day after his dismissal,” the media reported on Wednesday night, as cited on Thursday (4/6/2026).
“The multi-billion dollar feeding programme, which has been heavily promoted, was a flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign,” it added.
“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. All three were detained in Jakarta on Wednesday.”
Reports indicate that Dadan and two other BGN leaders committed “crimes in the management” of the institution. It was also reported that the offices and homes of the three individuals were raided by authorities.
“The watchdog agency (ICW)… filed a complaint against Dadan last month over alleged budget irregularities,” AFP further noted.
“The foundation appointed by the three defendants to oversee public kitchens was allegedly used as a tool for crime. These foundations received billions of rupiah in incentives every day, and these foundations are affiliated with and owned by the suspects,” the report continued, quoting the Director of Investigation at the Attorney General’s Office for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi.
“The three individuals are also accused of overseeing the illegal procurement of electric motorcycles, shoes, tablets, and televisions… If found guilty, they could face life imprisonment.”
Reuters, meanwhile, highlighted the arrest of the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services, Silmy Karim. He was arrested on allegations of corrupt practices in the administration of immigration documents.
“A spokesperson for the KPK said on Thursday that Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency has arrested the country’s deputy immigration minister, making him the second high-ranking government official to face corruption charges in two days,” reported the outlet in an article titled “Indonesia arrest deputy immigration minister, graft charges”.
“The arrest occurred one day after the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office (AGO) detained Dadan Hindayana, the former head of the agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meal programme. Dadan is named as a suspect in a corruption case related to the governance and procurement of the programme,” it noted.
It was reported that Silmy had been interrogated at the KPK office since Wednesday night and emerged around 10 hours later on Thursday morning, wearing handcuffs and an orange jacket, indicating his status as a suspect. He was subsequently taken to a detention centre.
“The alleged corruption occurred between 2023 and 2024… Silmy served as the Director General of Immigration under Prabowo’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, during that period,” Reuters reported, quoting KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo.
“The agency has also identified seven other suspects linked to this case… Further details are expected to be released on Thursday afternoon,” he added, emphasising that Prabowo had promised to eradicate corruption since taking office in 2024.