A Signature Program Rocked by Scandal
The flagship free nutritious meal program launched by President Prabowo Subianto was designed to combat malnutrition across the Indonesian archipelago by delivering daily meals to nearly 90 million schoolchildren and pregnant women. With a budget reaching approximately 270 trillion rupiah this year, or roughly $15 billion, and projected costs of $28 billion through 2029, the initiative represented one of the most ambitious social welfare rollouts in national history. Yet what began as a celebrated campaign promise has rapidly transformed into a sprawling corruption investigation that has now produced six arrests, exposed rigged procurement schemes, and ignited nationwide protests.
The Attorney General Office launched its investigation in early June, moving swiftly against senior leadership at the National Nutrition Agency, known locally as BGN. On June 3, investigators detained former BGN head Dadan Hindayana along with two former deputies, retired police inspector general Sony Sonjaya and retired lieutenant general Lodewyk Pusung. The arrests came less than 24 hours after President Prabowo fired the trio for what officials described as failures in governance and food quality standards. Prosecutors allege the three manipulated procurement processes and steered contracts toward foundations that were not qualified to operate community kitchens under the program.
The probe expanded dramatically over the following weeks. On June 12, investigators arrested Asep Yusuf Somantri, a businessman described as a close associate of Sony Sonjaya. Prosecutors accuse Somantri of exploiting his connection to the former deputy to interfere in the partner verification process, allegedly revoking approvals for some kitchen operators while pushing through applications for others even after registration deadlines had passed. Then on June 15, the AGO arrested Andri Mulyono, commissioner of logistics firm PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal, in connection with the allegedly inflated procurement of more than 21,000 electric motorcycles for the program.
The investigation reached a new inflection point on June 18, when prosecutors named Glory Harimas Sihombing as the sixth suspect. Sihombing chairs the Indonesia Food Security Review Foundation, an organization that operates multiple kitchens under the free meals program and maintains documented ties to volunteer networks that supported the presidential campaign of Prabowo. He was photographed leaving the Attorney General Office wearing a pink detainee vest, his hands in cuffs. Authorities have not yet detailed his precise alleged role, though his foundation is among those under scrutiny for potentially benefiting from manipulated verification systems.
The Electric Motorcycle Procurement Fiasco
Among the most visible symbols of the alleged mismanagement is a fleet of over 21,000 electric motorcycles procured by BGN in 2025 at a cost exceeding one trillion rupiah, equivalent to about $72.5 million. The motorcycles were intended for use by kitchen heads delivering meals under the program. Instead, many sat idle for months in warehouses, prompting public outrage over what critics saw as wasteful spending at a time when the government was implementing austerity measures to ease pressure on the state budget amid rising energy costs.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa added fuel to the controversy when he revealed that his ministry had initially rejected the motorcycle proposal because it was not considered a priority. According to the minister, internal miscommunication within the ministry resulted in parts of the proposal being inadvertently approved, allowing the purchase to move forward. He has since announced that no new electric motorcycle purchases will proceed in 2026.
On June 17, investigators from the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Special Crimes, or Jampidsus, inspected a warehouse in Bogor, West Java, where many of the vehicles had been stored. Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, the director of investigation at Jampidsus, said the visit aimed to verify the number of units and seal the storage facility to preserve evidence. Additional inspections at other sites are planned to occur in stages.
The purpose is to check the number of electric motorcycles and seal the site.
Syarief explained that investigators do not intend to confiscate the entire fleet, since the probe centers on alleged irregularities in the procurement process rather than the physical assets themselves. The investigation only requires documentation and records related to the procurement process, so there is no need to seize all the units, especially since these are assets that will be used for public service, he said.
Prosecutors believe Andri Mulyono, the logistics company commissioner arrested on June 15, played a central role in distorting the motorcycle deal. Investigators allege he inflated unit prices to push the total contract value as close as possible to the ceiling of the BGN budget. While authorities have not disclosed the exact amount of the alleged markup, they contend that Mulyono unlawfully profited from the manipulated scheme.
Foundations, Political Ties, and Rigged Verification
Beyond motorcycles, the corruption probe has exposed a complex web of foundations operating community kitchens nationwide. Prosecutors allege that BGN officials manipulated the agency partner verification portal to approve foundations that failed to meet basic eligibility requirements. Once approved, these organizations reportedly received incentives worth billions of rupiah every day.
According to investigators, several of these foundations were linked directly to BGN officials and employees, including the three senior leaders arrested on June 3. Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi stated that the foundations were used to facilitate criminal activities, with suspects allegedly interfering in the drafting of work plans so that project specifications did not reflect actual operational needs. Separate from the motorcycles, questionable procurements included 32,000 pairs of shoes, 31,000 tablets, and 5,400 units of 75-inch televisions that were deemed unnecessary and allegedly overpriced.
The arrest of Glory Harimas Sihombing has drawn particular attention because of the political connections of his foundation. The Indonesia Food Security Review Foundation, which he chairs, manages kitchens in locations including South Tangerang, Yogyakarta, Bogor, and Karawang. The co-founder of the foundation is Dirgayuza Setiawan, currently serving as Special Assistant to the President for Communication. Campaign finance watchdogs have noted that the patron of the foundation, Hanief Adrian, serves as secretary general of the Prabowo Gibran Youth Volunteers, while Sihombing himself reportedly coordinated activities at the Expert Council Office of Prabowo. A book published by the foundation on accelerating the free meal program was launched in May 2025 with a foreword written by then BGN head Dadan Hindayana.
Asep Yusuf Somantri allegedly exploited his access to the verification system. Prosecutors accuse Somantri of conspiring with Sony Sonjaya to recruit partners for the program. Sony allegedly granted Somantri access to influence the agency partner-verification team, allowing him to determine which applicants qualified and which had their approvals revoked. In exchange, Somantri allegedly provided payments to the former deputy. Sony has since applied for justice collaborator status, commonly known as whistleblower protection, and has indicated through his lawyer a willingness to disclose more than 20 additional names allegedly tied to the scheme.
Operational Failures and Food Safety Crises
While financial misconduct has dominated headlines, the free meals program has also faced severe criticism for operational shortcomings and public health failures. Since its rollout in early 2025, at least 33,000 mass food poisoning cases have been reported among schoolchildren who consumed meals prepared under the initiative. Independent education monitors have estimated tens of thousands of children have gotten sick, raising serious questions about kitchen hygiene and supply chain oversight.
Indonesia Corruption Watch, the antigraft watchdog that first filed complaints about the program, documented additional irregularities in ingredient procurement during monitoring between November 2025 and January. The group found alleged price markups on staples such as chicken and vegetables, with kitchens inflating costs by 2,000 to 5,000 rupiah per kilogram. Such schemes reportedly generated extra costs of up to 27 million rupiah per kitchen each month.
Other procurement controversies involve halal certification contracts awarded to an allegedly ineligible state-owned enterprise, as well as inconsistencies in budgeting across dozens of kitchens in regions ranging from Greater Jakarta to East Nusa Tenggara and North Sumatra. Reports have described meals featuring ultra-processed food and low-quality ingredients, compounding concerns that the massive budget of the program was not translating into nutritional value for recipients.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi acknowledged governance failures when announcing the dismissal of the three BGN leaders on June 2, citing issues related to discipline in implementing governance, including discipline in maintaining food quality standards. The comment came just hours after President Prabowo had appeared alongside Dadan Hindayana at a school inspection in West Jakarta, underscoring how rapidly the scandal has engulfed the administration.
Public Protests and Demands for Accountability
The cascade of revelations has triggered street protests and calls for program suspension. On June 12, police in Jakarta clashed with students demonstrating against the spending plans of Prabowo under the hashtag MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut, or Indonesia heading for bankruptcy. Further protests erupted on June 15 in multiple major cities, prompting authorities to deploy more than 6,000 police and military personnel in the capital. Demonstrators described the free meals initiative as a misplaced priority amid a weakening rupiah and widening budget deficits.
Indonesia Corruption Watch has gone further, calling for BGN to be dissolved entirely. Wana Alamsyah, who leads the law and investigation division at the watchdog, argued that the agency was poorly planned and rolled out too quickly, creating structural vulnerabilities for patronage and graft. In a report reviewing 102 foundations involved in running kitchens across 38 provinces, ICW identified ties to politically linked individuals including politicians, government officials, military figures, law enforcement officials, and business networks.
Wana has urged investigators to examine vendors and procurement committee members, not just agency leadership. He also questioned why authorities waited until 2026 to act despite widespread criticism circulating on social media throughout 2025. He suggested the timing may reflect mounting fiscal pressure rather than organic law enforcement, arguing that officials needed to sacrifice someone to legitimise the rearrangement or refocusing of the program as budget constraints tighten.
Authorities should investigate all parties who may have benefited from the poor governance of the program. Law enforcement authorities should also examine the roles of vendors and procurement committee members involved in the process.
The government has pushed back against calls to halt the initiative. Muhammad Qodari, head of the Government Communications Agency, insisted the program would continue, framing challenges as inevitable during implementation.
Any programme will inevitably face challenges during its implementation and operational stages. There will always be variations and problems along the way. Only dead people have no problems. But those problems do not mean we should stop or retreat. We evaluate them.
Presidential Response and the Investigation Outlook
President Prabowo has sought to contain the political damage by projecting toughness against corruption. Hours after the arrest of Dadan Hindayana, the President addressed thousands of officials and program partners in Bogor, declaring there should be no room for misconduct. He pledged that no exceptions would be made for officials who steal public funds.
I do not want the money of the people to be stolen, and there will be no exceptions.
The words of the President were echoed by Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, who said the government respects the investigation of the Attorney General and noted that Prabowo had repeatedly warned officials against breaking the law. New BGN head Nanik S. Deyang has meanwhile announced plans to refocus the program with an emphasis on efficiency rather than scale. She declared a moratorium on new kitchen approvals and said the agency would promote the use of existing school canteens rather than building new facilities. Spending will likely fall below the 268 trillion rupiah budgeted for 2026 as the agency prioritizes remote regions and food quality over chasing the original target of 82.9 million recipients.
BGN deputy head Agustina Arumsari has stated that assets already purchased with state funds, including the idle electric motorcycles, will be utilized as much as possible rather than left to decay in warehouses. She said the agency would coordinate with the Attorney General Office regarding disposal of assets linked to the corruption probe, applying the principle that everything purchased in 2025 must be utilized as effectively as possible.
For prosecutors, the investigation remains in its early stages. Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi has indicated that his team will continue examining financial flows and partner selection processes across the country, and that additional suspects will be named if sufficient evidence emerges. The potential cooperation of Sony as a justice collaborator could accelerate that process, though investigators say they are still reviewing his application carefully before deciding whether to grant protected status.
The Essentials
- The Attorney General Office has arrested six suspects in a corruption probe involving the free nutritious meal program of Indonesia, including former BGN head Dadan Hindayana, two deputies, two businessmen, and a foundation chair.
- Investigators allege officials manipulated procurement processes and rigged the partner verification system to benefit unqualified foundations operating program kitchens.
- More than 21,000 electric motorcycles were procured for over one trillion rupiah amid public criticism, with one suspect accused of inflating prices to exhaust the budget ceiling.
- The program has faced at least 33,000 reported food poisoning cases since early 2025, alongside complaints about low-quality meals and unnecessary purchases including televisions and tablets.
- Student protests have erupted in major cities demanding cancellation of the program amid concerns over fiscal sustainability and misplaced spending priorities.
- President Prabowo Subianto has pledged zero tolerance for corruption in the program, while new BGN leadership promises tighter oversight, a moratorium on new kitchens, and a shift toward quality over quantity.
