Sony's 'Singing' Grows to Become JC, Submits 41 Names to Investigators

Former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya, has resumed ‘singing’ regarding the corruption case in the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. He disclosed new names allegedly involved in the case. This was conveyed when Sony—who previously applied to become a ‘Cooperating Perpetrator’ or Justice Collaborator (JC)—was examined by the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung).

Sony’s lawyer, Krisna Murti, stated that during the examination on Thursday (18/6), the number of names submitted by his client to investigators increased from the previously mentioned 26 to 41 figures. Krisna explained the addition arose because there were individuals who requested allocations of Nutrition Service Fulfilment Unit (SPPG) points for parties affiliated with them.

“So one person had a table, ‘Sir [Sony], this one has this, this one has this, this one belongs to this Regent,’ like that,” he said at the Attorney General’s Office. “Earlier, the [chat] was opened by the investigator. When opened by the investigator, it turned out there was a table filled with proposals of new people. So the total increased from the 26 plus the new findings, making a total of 41 names,” he added.

His side has not yet disclosed to journalists who exactly is on the list of 41 figures. Krisna also did not confirm the names already circulating publicly on social media. “Some are correct, some are not. Basically, what has circulated, some are correct, some are not. These new findings, these new names, have not circulated anywhere,” he said.

On another note, Krisna revealed one of the individuals Sony disclosed during the examination to investigators has the initials ‘NSD’. He mentioned this figure had asked Sony to change an approved SPPG foundation without an official letter. “In the BAP [Examination Report], Mr Sony explained that NSD changed the foundation. This foundation with this name was changed again to this name, changed again to this name. So it was changed three times. Those points, according to Mr Sony’s explanation in the BAP, are points owned by NSD,” he stated.

Fictitious CCTV

Not only that, Sony also submitted findings of alleged fictitious CCTV procurement for the MBG programme to the Attorney General’s Office. Krisna stated the findings were submitted by his client as one consideration for the investigators to accept his client’s JC application.

He explained the alleged fictitious project relates to the procurement of 5,000 CCTV units to be installed at Nutrition Service Fulfilment Units (SPPG) and the procurement of fingerprint detection devices for MBG beneficiaries. “One SPPG has 5 CCTVs. So in total, 5,000 CCTVs and [fingerprint] devices must be installed. So the beneficiaries must click their fingerprints, like that, to be matched with the SPPG,” he said.

Krisna claimed all of this procurement existed before his client served as Deputy Head of BGN. He said his client had checked the existence of the project by summoning the vendor. However, he said, the vendor responsible for the CCTV procurement could not display the CCTVs that had been installed at the SPPGs.

“Mr Sony asked them, ‘Hey, you installed these 5,000 CCTVs and fingerprint devices. Show me what they look like. I need SDN 01 East Jakarta. Show me what it looks like.’ They could not show it,” Krisna revealed. He stated the project had a budget of around Rp300 billion. Therefore, Krisna requested investigators also uncover this procurement and the figures involved in it. “He answered it was a total loss. Meaning it could be said to be fictitious,” he said.

Update from the Attorney General’s Office

Director of Investigation for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, acknowledged that Sony’s examination on Thursday was to deepen the information in the JC application he submitted to investigators. Additionally, he emphasised Sony was also examined in the context of deepening the investigation of the case.

Last night, Syarief announced there was a new suspect allegedly colluding in the buying and selling of SPPG points with Dadan Hindayana while he still served as Head of BGN. Dadan is the first suspect in the case announced by the Attorney General’s Office.

“Yes, so the deepening of [Sony’s] examination today is the second examination. Today’s examination, besides being an examination to deepen the case material, also includes deepening the information in the JC application the concerned party submitted to investigators,” Syarief told the media at the Attorney General’s Office last night. “At this point, we are currently studying whether that information is confirmed by other evidence. We are currently studying that,” he continued.

He also confirmed there is no decision yet regarding the JC application submitted by Sony. “We will convey it later to you [journalists], also regarding whether the JC application will be accepted by investigators or not,” he said.

Meanwhile, regarding information from Sony about the alleged 41 names and the fictitious CCTV procurement, Syarief acknowledged it will be checked or deepened by investigators as well. “We appreciate the information or statements conveyed by Mr SS, including the information about the CCTV issue. That will be checked and deepened by us, besides what we are currently deepening regarding motorcycles, IT, and others,” he said.

As of Thursday night, the Attorney General’s Office had named a total of six suspects in the corruption case concerning the governance of the MBG programme for the 2025-2026 period. The six are former Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana; former Deputy Heads of BGN Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung; Sony’s associate Asep Yusuf Somantri (AYS); Commissioner of PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal (YAT), Andri Mulyono; and, most recently, Chairman of the Indonesia Food Security Review Foundation, Glory Harimas Sihombing.

In this case, the Attorney General’s Office explained the MBG programme should have been managed by Nutrition Service and Fulfilment Unit (SPPG) foundations affiliated with recipient schools. However, in practice, many SPPGs were appointed because they had affiliations with BGN officials. Moreover, many foundations were actually