Indonesia Arrests 3 Ex-Nutrition Officials Over $20 Billion School Meals Program
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jun 4
Indonesia Arrests 3 Ex-Nutrition Officials Over $20 Billion School Meals Program
3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jun 4
Summary
Dadan Hindayana, fired a day earlier as head of the National Nutrition Agency, was arrested with two former deputies and will be detained for 20 days as a corruption probe widens.
Prosecutors said the three manipulated procurement, steered kitchen contracts to unqualified foundations tied to agency staff — including themselves — and took kickbacks.
Investigators also alleged the agency bought items it did not need, including more than 21,000 motorcycles, 5,000 televisions and 32,000 pairs of shoes, while raiding BGN headquarters in Jakarta.
The case hits President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free-meals program, budgeted at 270 trillion rupiah this year to feed more than 80 million Indonesians, mostly children.
That program was already under pressure after food-quality failures and tens of thousands of reported child food-poisoning cases triggered protests and an official review.
How did a $15B school meal program end up buying 21,000 motorcycles while thousands of children were poisoned?
Can a presidential loyalist fix the corrupt food program, or is this just damage control for Prabowo’s signature promise?
5,626 Poisonings and a £15.2 Billion Budget: The Unraveling of Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals Program
Overview
On June 3, 2026, Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program was rocked by a major corruption scandal as Dadan Hindayana, a key figure, was publicly arrested at the Attorney General's Office, handcuffed and escorted in a pink vest. Alongside him, Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sanjaya were also detained, all facing multiple charges under anti-corruption laws and placed under a 20-day detention across AGO and South Jakarta District Attorney’s Office facilities. These high-profile arrests highlight the serious governance failures and legal consequences now facing the MBG program, marking a turning point in the ongoing investigation.