Dadan Hindayana, the former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), has been officially named a suspect in a high-profile case involving alleged irregularities in the governance of the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG). Currently, Hindayana is being detained at the Salemba Detention Center under the authority of the Attorney General’s Office. This significant development also sees two other individuals designated as suspects by the Attorney General’s Office: former Deputy Head of BGN, Sonny Sonjaya, and Lodewyk Pusung.
According to Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, Director of Investigation at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) within the Attorney General’s Office, Dadan Hindayana allegedly established a foundation, Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG), specifically to manage the kitchens for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program. Syarief revealed during a press conference at the Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday (3/6) that while the MBG program was intended to be managed by foundations associated with individual schools, the reality was starkly different. “In actual fact,” Syarief stated, “the foundations appointed as SPPG partners were utilized as vehicles for criminal activity and were affiliated with BGN officials or employees who did not meet the necessary qualifications to become SPPG partners.” This highlights a serious breach of protocol and integrity.
Despite SPPG’s evident lack of qualifications, it was nevertheless appointed by manipulating the BGN partner portal’s verification process. This manipulation was carried out under the direct “attention” or instruction of Dadan. Furthermore, these illicitly selected foundations, though operating under the names of other individuals, were deeply affiliated with Dadan and his co-suspects. Syarief clarified the intricate nature of this complex web of deceit, explaining that the “affiliation here refers to individual-to-individual, legally binding affiliations, creating a clear conflict of interest.”
These foundations, chosen at the behest of Dadan and the two other suspects, reportedly reaped substantial financial benefits, receiving daily incentives amounting to billions of rupiah. Syarief explicitly linked the illicit gains to the accused, stating, “These foundations received billions of rupiah every day, and these foundations are affiliated with, among others, and owned by Mr. DH [Dadan Hindayana], Mr. SS [Sonny Sonjaya], and Mr. LP [Lodewyk Pusung].”
The exact number of foundations controlled by the suspects remains under intensive investigation, with Syarief unable to provide further details at this preliminary stage. He emphasized the sheer scale of the alleged operation, stating, “It’s still being calculated. Still being calculated, still in process. There are many, many, many foundations.” To fully unravel this intricate network, the Attorney General’s Office also plans to coordinate closely with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) to meticulously inventory and identify which foundations are genuinely legitimate and which are illicitly affiliated with Dadan and his associates.
Summary
Dadan Hindayana, former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), along with former Deputy Head Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, has been officially named a suspect in a high-profile case involving alleged irregularities in the governance of the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG).
Hindayana allegedly established the Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) foundation to manage MBG kitchens, manipulating the BGN partner portal’s verification to appoint unqualified partners. These illicit foundations, affiliated with Dadan and his co-suspects, received substantial daily incentives amounting to billions of rupiah, despite the program’s intent for school-associated management. The Attorney General’s Office is currently investigating the full scale of foundations controlled and plans to coordinate with BKN.