June 4, 2026
JAKARTA – The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named Dadan Hindayana, former head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that oversees the free nutritious meal rollout, as a suspect in an alleged corruption case just one day after his dismissal from the agency.
Dadan and former deputy BGN heads Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya were interrogated on Wednesday morning. Investigators later detained them after finding sufficient evidence, said assistant attorney general for extraordinary crimes (Jampidsus) investigation director Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi.
The free meals program is President Prabowo Subianto’s campaign promise aimed at fighting malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million schoolchildren and pregnant women. But the rollout has come under criticism due to its high cost, cases of food poisoning, operational shortcomings and alleged procurement irregularities.
AGO investigators alleged several foundations linked to the agency’s officials were approved as program partners through a rigged verification process, despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
“They were still appointed through manipulated verification procedures on the agency’s partner portal, with the involvement or direction of the suspects,” Syarief told a press briefing on Wednesday. “These foundations reportedly received incentives worth billions of rupiah per day.”
The three former BGN officials were also suspected of interfering in procurement processes, including by influencing the drafting of work plans so project specifications did not reflect actual operational needs.
Among procurements in question were more than 20,000 electric motorcycles worth around Rp 1 trillion (US$56 million) as well as 32,000 pairs of shoes, 31,000 tablets and 5,400 units of 75-inch televisions that were deemed not needed and allegedly overpriced.
“This led to losses and inefficiencies that undermined the implementation of the program,” Syarief said.
The alleged irregularities had resulted in state financial losses, the total amount of which is still being calculated, as Syarief noted that “there are many foundations [under investigation] across the country”.
Investigators took Dadan, Sony and Lodewijk into custody from their respective houses on Wednesday early morning. They also conducted searches in several locations, including BGN’s headquarters in Central Jakarta, locking it down for more than 12 hours and barring employees from entering the premises.
During the search, investigators seized documents and electronic devices as evidence for their investigation.
The arrest took place after Prabowo removed Dadan, Sony and Lodewyk from the agency on Tuesday, only hours after the President appeared alongside then-BGN chief to inspect the free meal implementation at a school in Palmerah, West Jakarta.
At a press briefing on Tuesday evening, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the decision was made following an evaluation of the agency’s performance, citing “issues related to discipline in implementing governance, including in maintaining food quality standards, that should have been established” by the agency.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi (center) talks to journalists while accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya (left) and Government Communication Agency (GCA) head Muhammad Qodari during a press briefing on June 2 at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. The officials announced the dismissal of then-National Nutrition Agency head Dadan Hindayana from his position, who was being replaced by his deputy Nanik S. Deyang. (Antara/Azhfar Muhammad)
At a consolidation event between the free meal program’s stakeholders in Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday, Prabowo reaffirmed his commitment to safeguarding the integrity and success of the program. He asserted there should be no room for misconduct or abuse of public trust in its implementation.
“I don’t want people’s money to be stolen, and there will be no exceptions,” the President said, urging kitchen managers to strengthen supervision at the operational level and avoid practices that could undermine public confidence in the program.
Responding to Dadan’s arrest, Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, also a politician of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, said the government respected the AGO’s investigation, while noting the President had repeatedly warned officials not to violate the law.
The arrest came weeks after antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) filed a complaint with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) about alleged markups on the cost of the program, which received a Rp 268 trillion allocation from this year’s state budget.
Among the irregularities pertaining to the procurement of halal certification, with an ineligible state-owned enterprise (SOE) allegedly involved in the scheme.
The group also highlighted inconsistencies in budgeting across dozens of kitchens, formally known as Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), in various regions, such as Greater Jakarta, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and North Sumatra.
In a report monitoring the program’s implementation between November 2025 and January, ICW found alleged markups in ingredient procurement, with kitchens inflating prices of chicken and vegetables by Rp 2,000 to Rp 5,000 per kilogram. Such a scheme resulted in extra costs of up to Rp 27 million per kitchen every month.
Responding to Dadan’s arrest, ICW urged AGO’s investigation to not stop at the agency’s past leadership and expand to other alleged irregularities surrounding the free meal program, such as alleged conflicts of interest in partner appointments and procurement of goods and services.
The graft watchdog also pushed the government to disclose all documents, contracts and other information related to the rollout, underlining the importance of transparency for public oversight and prevention of further abuse.