MBG Corruption: AGO Says Suspects Allegedly Misappropriated SPPG Incentives

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has disclosed new findings in the alleged corruption case involving the governance of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. The three main suspects in the MBG corruption case are strongly suspected of misappropriating incentive funds allocated by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for Nutritional Service Fulfilment Units (SPPG). The three suspects are former senior officials of the BGN: former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana, and two former BGN Deputy Heads, Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya. The Director of Investigations for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, explained that the BGN was supposed to distribute incentives amounting to Rp6 million per day to SPPGs. However, these funds were allegedly skimmed and used for the suspects’ personal interests. “Approximately Rp6 million per day was allegedly misappropriated,” Syarief stated at the AGO Special Crimes Building in Jakarta on Thursday. Although the flow of misappropriated funds has been identified, Syarief stated that the detailed modus operandi of the misappropriation cannot yet be disclosed to the public, as the examination process is still classified as confidential investigation material. “We will convey that later. It is still investigation material,” he added. Regarding the possible application of money laundering charges, the AGO confirmed that investigators are currently focused primarily on proving pure corruption offences. “For the time being, no. We are still purely investigating the criminal act of corruption,” Syarief emphasised. For their actions, the suspects are charged under Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20 letter a or c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, and Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001. Dadan Hindayana, Lodewyk Pusung, and Sony Sonjaya have been detained for 20 days starting from Wednesday to facilitate further investigation, held at the Salemba Detention Centre branch of the Attorney General’s Office and the Salemba Detention Centre branch of the South Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office.