MBG Corruption Allegedly Involves Foundations Affiliated with National Nutrition Agency Officials

The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has named the former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, along with two former deputies, Lodewijk Pusung and Sonny Sanjaya, as suspects in an alleged corruption case concerning the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. The three individuals are suspected of enriching themselves through foundations serving as partners to the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), which manage production kitchens and act as suppliers for the MBG programme across various regions.

The Director of Investigation for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, explained that the investigation uncovered two primary modes of operation. In addition to receiving fund flows through SPPG partner foundations, the suspects are also alleged to have engaged in corruption through the inflation of budgets for the procurement of goods and services within the BGN environment.

According to Syarief, some foundations appointed as SPPG partners were found to have links to the suspects. These foundations were granted approval and verification as partners despite failing to meet the established requirements.

The MBG programme is one of the national priority programmes managed by the BGN. In 2025, the programme’s budget reached IDR 85.27 trillion, while for 2026, the government increased the budget to IDR 268 trillion.

In its implementation, the BGN holds the authority to verify and approve the establishment of SPPGs or production kitchens that supply nutritious meals to beneficiary schools.

“The MBG programme should be managed by foundations at each school. However, in reality, the foundations appointed as SPPG partners were foundations used as instruments for crime and are affiliated with officials or employees of the BGN. This occurred despite the three suspects knowing that these foundations did not meet the requirements to be SPPG partners,” said Syarief on Wednesday (3/6/2022).

Investigations also revealed that the suspects owned their own foundations, as well as affiliated foundations, to establish and manage the SPPG kitchens supplying the MBG programme.