Arrests and the crisis surrounding Prabowo’s controversial free meals scheme

Dadan Hindayana, who headed the agency for two years, has been jailed, along with Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung. The prosecution cites “solid” evidence supporting the charges, whilst the investigation continues. The agency’s new head announces a radical change: the target of reaching 83 million people is no longer a priority

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - High-profile charges have been brought in connection with the controversial free meals programme, one of the flagship initiatives of the election campaign that brought Prabowo Subianto to the presidency but which, in practice, has backfired due to issues regarding meal quality and sustainability.

In recent days, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has issued an arrest warrant for three former senior officials of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on charges of corruption relating to the management of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme for the years 2025 and 2026.

The arrests date back to 3 June and concern: nutritionist Dadan Hindayana, who headed the agency from August 2024 to June 2026; former police general Sony Sonjaya, deputy head of operations; and former army special forces chief Lodewyk Pusung, deputy head of organisational development and institutional relations at MBG.

Syarief Sulaeman, director of investigations at the Special Crimes Bureau of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (AGO), reports that the indictment follows the discovery of ‘solid’ digital evidence confirming the charges. The three men have been remanded in custody at branches of the Salemba Detention Centre, managed by the Attorney General’s Office and the South Jakarta District Attorney’s Office, for an initial period of 20 days.

The case concerns alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals programme, a national priority initiative launched in January 2025. The programme has consistently been in the spotlight and has faced heavy criticism due to the substantial funds allocated to it, amounting to approximately .2 billion in 2025, which rose to .4 billion in the current year.

According to investigators, the suspects allegedly manipulated the selection of partners for the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (Sppg).

The acting head of the Legal Information Centre at the Attorney General’s Office, Mochamad Jeffry, emphasised that the suspects were named in a professional and responsible manner, in accordance with the presumption of innocence.

The Attorney General’s Office states that the investigation is continuing to identify other parties who may have been involved and to determine the exact amount of state losses resulting from the alleged corruption. The suspects have been charged under Indonesia’s anti-corruption law and the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code.

The Indonesian agency overseeing President Prabowo’s free meals initiative has stated that it no longer considers reaching 82.9 million beneficiaries this year a priority, focusing instead on improving quality.

This was stated by Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, the new director of the National Nutrition Agency, when interviewed yesterday by the local newspaper Detik in the wake of the high-profile arrests of her predecessor and two other senior officials on corruption charges. The agency, she added, will “refocus” its budget by reducing the creation of new kitchens and concentrating on beneficiaries in the most remote areas.

To ease the pressure on the state coffers, the food agency is exploring other sources of funding for the programme, including grants or corporate social responsibility initiatives from private companies, adds Nanik Sudaryati Deyang. In underdeveloped and remote areas, the Jakarta Globe reports, the agency intends to use alternative models such as school canteens and community kitchens to reduce infrastructure costs. Priority will be given to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children.

Meanwhile, the agency’s new deputy director, Agustina Arumsari, has stated that the reforms will also focus on “stricter internal controls, better data integration and more systematic monitoring to ensure accountability”. The ambitious free meals programme was a key element of Prabowo’s 2024 presidential campaign, with the government allocating at least billion to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women across the vast archipelago. However, links have emerged with cases of food poisoning which, according to the non-governmental organisation Network for Education Watch, had affected at least 33,000 children by April.