JAKARTA: Indonesia's Attorney General's Office has expanded its corruption investigation into the free nutritious meal initiative by arresting two more suspects, escalating a scandal that has already ensnared three former leaders of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).
On Friday, June 12, authorities apprehended Andri Mulyono, a commissioner at logistics company PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal (YAT), on suspicion of involvement in the alleged scheme. Investigators claim Andri inflated the cost of over 21,000 electric motorcycles designated for meal preparation kitchens across the nation, artificially pushing expenses to the Rp 1.03 trillion (US$58.2 million) budget ceiling. According to Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, investigation director at the Office of Assistant Attorney General for Special Crimes, Andri profited illegally from the price manipulation.
A second businessman, Asep Yusuf Somantri, was arrested earlier that week. Authorities assert that Asep leveraged connections with former BGN deputy head Sony Sonjaya to interfere with partner verification procedures, enabling him to manipulate kitchen registrations and approve applications beyond the official registration deadline. The mounting caseload has reached five suspects after Sony, fellow former deputy Lodewyk Pusung, and ex-BGN chief Dadan Hindayana were detained on June 3, immediately following President Prabowo Subianto's dismissal of them from their positions.
The investigation has drawn further attention as prosecutors consider Sony's request to become a justice collaborator, potentially exposing over 20 additional individuals implicated in the affair. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa announced that the government will halt new electric motorcycle purchases in 2026, attributing the earlier approval to internal communication failures within his ministry.
The scheme, intended to combat malnutrition by providing meals to more than 80 million schoolchildren and pregnant women nationwide, has faced mounting criticism. Since its launch in early 2025, the programme has been plagued by at least 33,000 reported mass food-poisoning incidents and operational irregularities. Public outrage intensified on Friday with a student-led protest titled #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut (Indonesia heading for bankruptcy), demanding cessation of the initiative and citing misallocated government resources amid currency instability.
Government Communications Agency head Muhammad Qodari defended the programme on Saturday, asserting that complications are inevitable during implementation stages and should not warrant programme termination. He maintained that the initiative remains critical for reducing stunting rates across Indonesia, emphasizing that authorities would address shortcomings through evaluation rather than abandonment.
