Latest on Dadan Hindayana and Others Named Suspects in MBG Corruption Case, Under Surveillance for Some Time
The Attorney General’s Office has disclosed that an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) had been underway for quite some time before the case was elevated to the formal inquiry stage. The Director of Investigation at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, explained that the MBG programme had been under the scrutiny of law enforcement from the outset due to its significant public interest and the substantial state budget involved. He stated that the office had been gathering data and information for a considerable period before taking further legal steps. “Because we have indeed studied it beforehand, we studied it for quite a long time,” Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi said.
The emergence of the case, which moved relatively quickly from preliminary inquiry to investigation, had prompted public questions. However, the Attorney General’s Office asserted that the process was not conducted suddenly. Syarief noted that investigators had first examined various indications of irregularities. Once the data was deemed sufficient, a formal preliminary inquiry was initiated, and the case was then elevated to the investigation stage on 29 May 2026. The office added that various controversies surrounding the implementation of the MBG programme had been monitored since early in the year, as it was a government project that had drawn widespread public attention.
In the latest development, the Attorney General’s Office named three former senior officials of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as suspects. They are former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana, former BGN Deputy for Operational Nutrition Fulfilment Sony Sonjaya, and former BGN Deputy for Organisational Development and Institutional Support Lodewyk Pusung. All three are now undergoing legal proceedings, with investigators claiming to have found sufficient evidence. Investigators suspect the individuals committed irregularities in the governance of the MBG programme, including in the process of appointing foundations as partners of the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units.