TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Prosecutors have named a new suspect in a corruption case linked to Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), identifying the individual as private businessman Asep Yusuf Somantri.
"On Saturday, June 6, 2026, the investigation team named another private individual, identified by the initials AYS, as a suspect," Syarief Sulaiman Nahdi, Director of Investigation at the Attorney General's Office's Special Crimes Division, said in Central Jakarta on Thursday, June 11.
According to investigators, Asep is a close associate of former BGN Deputy Head, retired police inspector general Sony Sonjaya, who was previously named a suspect in the case. Syarief said Sony had tasked Asep with recruiting partners for the MBG program.
Investigators allege that Sony unlawfully granted Asep access to intervene in the verification process for MBG partners, allowing him to identify vulnerabilities in the system.
Asep is also accused of influencing the approval process for Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), facilities that operate kitchens for the government's free meals program.
Syarief said Asep facilitated the registration of several SPPG units even after the official registration portal had been closed.
“After arranging these SPPG locations, AYS unlawfully provided a sum of money to suspect SS (Sony Sonjaya),” Syarief said.
Asep has been charged under multiple provisions of Indonesia's anti-corruption law and criminal code. He has been placed in detention at the Salemba Detention Center, operated by the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, for an initial period of 20 days.
In addition to Asep and Sony, prosecutors have also named former BGN head Dadan Hindayana and former deputy head, retired Lieutenant General Lodewyk Pusung, among the suspects in the case.
The investigation centers on alleged irregularities in the implementation of the MBG program, one of the government's flagship initiatives aimed at providing free nutritious meals nationwide.
Read: MBG Program May Need a Smaller Budget Than Estimated, Govt Says
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