The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has taken decisive action, naming Dadan, the former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), along with two former Deputy Heads, Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, as suspects in a significant corruption case. This probe focuses on the governance of the ambitious Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program slated for 2025-2026, uncovering alleged irregularities that led to substantial state financial losses.
According to Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, the Director of Investigation for the AGO’s Special Crimes Division (Jampidsus), Dadan and his associates are suspected of orchestrating the appointment of unqualified foundations to serve as partners for the Service Units for Nutrition Fulfillment (SPPG) or the MBG kitchens. These SPPGs, which were intended to be managed by diverse foundations across various schools, were allegedly controlled by entities directly affiliated with BGN employees, including the suspects themselves.
“In fact, the foundations designated as SPPG partners were utilized as instruments for criminal activity and were affiliated with BGN officials or employees who failed to meet the necessary criteria to become SPPG partners,” Syarief stated during a press conference on Wednesday, June 3. He further elaborated that Dadan, Sony, and Lodewyk are believed to have direct ties to several of these foundations, which allegedly received billions of rupiah in incentives on a daily basis.
Beyond the deceptive foundation scheme, Dadan, Sony, and Lodewyk also face allegations of corruption stemming from procurement fraud and price inflation across several major projects. These include the procurement of a staggering 21,801 units of electric motorcycles, valued at approximately Rp 1 trillion, along with 32,000 pairs of shoes, 31,000 tablet units, and 5,400 units of 75-inch televisions. Such extensive irregularities underscore the breadth of the alleged illicit activities within the agency.
While the exact magnitude of the state financial losses incurred from these corrupt activities has yet to be publicly disclosed, the AGO confirms that the nation’s treasury has suffered significantly. In response to the gravity of the accusations, Dadan, Sony, and Lodewyk have been officially detained for the next 20 days as investigations continue to unfold.
The trio will be prosecuted under Article 603 or Article 604 of the New Criminal Code (Law Number 1 of 2023). These new provisions, which specifically address corruption offenses leading to state financial losses, supersede Article 2 paragraph (1) of the previous Anti-Corruption Law. Conviction under these articles carries severe penalties, including potential life imprisonment or a minimum of two years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, reflecting the state’s commitment to combating high-level corruption.
Summary
The Attorney General’s Office has named Dadan, former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), along with two former deputies, Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, as suspects in a major corruption case. This probe concerns irregularities in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program for 2025-2026, leading to substantial state financial losses. They are accused of orchestrating the appointment of unqualified foundations, affiliated with BGN employees, to manage MBG kitchens and using them for criminal activities to receive billions in daily incentives.
Furthermore, Dadan and his associates face allegations of procurement fraud and price inflation across several large projects. These include the procurement of 21,801 electric motorcycles valued at approximately Rp 1 trillion, along with thousands of shoes, tablets, and televisions. The suspects have been detained for 20 days and will be prosecuted under Article 603 or Article 604 of the New Criminal Code, which carry severe penalties for corruption offenses causing state financial losses.