Sony Sanjaya Rejected as Justice Collaborator; Expert Sees Indication He Is Main Perpetrator in MBG Corruption

The rejection of suspect Sony Sanjaya’s application for justice collaborator (JC) status in the alleged corruption case of the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG) is considered understandable if the Attorney General’s Office deems him the main perpetrator in the matter.

Herdiansyah Hamzah, a researcher at the Anti-Corruption Study Centre of Mulawarman University’s Faculty of Law (Saksi FH Unmul), said one of the primary requirements for obtaining justice collaborator status is not being the main perpetrator of the criminal act.

“When talking about justice collaborators, the problem is that the main requirement, besides admitting the crime, is that he must not be the main perpetrator. The prosecution rejected this application because it is deemed not to meet that requirement, namely being viewed as the main perpetrator,” Herdiansyah told Media Indonesia on Wednesday (24/6).

According to him, if using the Attorney General’s Office’s perspective based on the currently available facts, the rejection has an understandable basis. However, that assessment still needs to be tested further during the trial process.

“If we use the prosecution’s point of view, when the facts presented now are considered to already depict the existing criminal construct, then it is reasonable that Sony is positioned as the main perpetrator,” Herdiansyah stated.

Nevertheless, Herdiansyah believes the public still harbours hope for the disclosure of other parties possibly involved in the case. He finds it difficult to imagine that alleged corruption in a large-scale programme like MBG would involve only one or two people.

“There is a possibility that this crime also involves other people who have larger roles. That is the public’s hope, because it is impossible for a crime of this nature to be committed by only two or three people. This MBG programme has a very large value and involves many parties,” he said.

Herdiansyah also stressed that regardless of whether the JC application is accepted or rejected, the Attorney General’s Office still has other instruments to investigate the case, including through evidence and facts revealed in court.

“A justice collaborator is not the only instrument to uncover corruption cases. Prosecutors can use available evidence, trial facts, and other legal instruments to expose the parties involved,” he said.