Hery Susanto Instructed Ombudsman Staff Not to 'Touch' Free Nutritious Meal Programme

The Ethics Council of the Indonesian Ombudsman (ORI) has disclosed that the inactive Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Hery Susante, had directed his subordinates not to ‘touch’ the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme.

Chairman of the Ethics Council, Jimly Asshiddiqie, expressed regret over this directive, noting that although the MBG is a vital national programme, it must still be subject to oversight by the Ombudsman. “This is insolent. The evidence is that the leadership of the MBG programme has now been arrested as suspects, which means there are issues in governance,” Jimly stated during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

He emphasised that the Ombudsman must not refrain from performing its supervisory duties simply because a programme is a flagship government initiative. Jimly explained that Hery’s instructions were disclosed by several Ombudsman staff members during investigations. He stressed that as an independent public service oversight body, the ORI must continue to monitor all government programmes, including national priorities. While acknowledging that the MBG is a noble and well-intentioned programme, he maintained that its implementation must be supervised to prevent mismanagement.

Jimly criticised the directive as a symptom of a ‘feudal bureaucratic culture,’ where officials become too intimidated to exercise oversight when a programme is highly championed by the President.

The Ethics Council has imposed the sanction of Dishonorable Discharge (PTDH) on Hery Susanto, after he was found guilty of serious violations of the Indonesian Ombudsman’s code of ethics and conduct. These violations included bias, intentionality, repetitive misconduct, and actions that negatively impacted the institution, the state, and the public.

These ethical breaches are linked to Hery Susanto’s designation as a suspect in an alleged corruption case involving nickel mining business governance between 2013 and 2025. The Director of Investigation at the Attorney General’s Office, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that Hery allegedly committed these crimes while serving as a member of the Indonesian Ombudsman for the 2021-2026 term. The suspect designation followed sufficient evidence obtained through a series of investigations and searches.