THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Will Prabowo’s free meals scheme survive amid Indonesia corruption arrests? Indonesia’s free meals programme has long been beset with governance problems, quality issues and mass food poisoning cases. Now, allegations of corruption and the arrests of top former officials overseeing Prabowo Subianto’s flagship scheme risk turning it into a political hot potato for the president. Prabowo sacked former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana and his two ex-deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, on Tuesday. The trio were charged with corruption and taken into...

Corruption Scandal Hits Indonesia's Free Meals Program as Former ... Former BGN Chief Dadan Hindayana, along with former deputy leaders Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sanjaya, was formally detained on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of the nationwide nutrition program. Special ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA— A corruption scandal has struck Indonesia’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) after three former senior officials of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) were detained by the Attorney General’s Office, raising serious questions about governance and accountability within one of President Prabowo Subianto’s most ambitious social initiatives. Former BGN Chief Dadan Hindayana, along with former deputy leaders Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sanjaya, was formally detained on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of the nationwide nutrition program. The three former officials were escorted from the Attorney General’s Office headquarters in Jakarta wearing detainee vests and handcuffs after undergoing questioning by investigators. The detentions came just one day after …

Indonesia arrests sacked head of free meal scheme Indonesian officials arrested on Wednesday the former head of the country’s free school meals programme, blighted by mass food poisonings and corruption claims, a day after he was fired. The much-hyped billion-dollar feeding scheme was the flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign. Prabowo fired Dadan Hindayana, an entomologist who had led the National Nutrition Agency since its inception in August 2024, along with two deputies on Tuesday. All three were taken into...

Indonesia's Prabowo fires head of free meals scheme plagued by poisonings The centrepiece programme of Prabowo's government has left tens of thousands of school children ill.

Indonesia opens corruption probe into large-scale free meals programme ... June 4, 2026 JAKARTA – The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named Dadan Hindayana, former head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that oversees the free nutritious meal rollout, as a suspect in an alleged corruption case just one day after his dismissal from the agency. Dadan and former deputy BGN heads Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya were interrogated on Wednesday morning. Investigators later detained them after finding sufficient evidence, said assistant attorney general for extraordinary crimes (Jampidsus) investigation director Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi. The free meals program is President Prabowo Subianto’s campaign promise aimed at fighting malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million schoolchildren and pregnant women. But the rollout has come under criticism due to its high cost, cases of food poisoning, operational shortcomings and alleged procurement irregularities. AGO investigators alleged several foundations linked to the agency’s officials were approved as program partners through a rigged verification process, despite failing to meet eligibility requirements. “They were still appointed throug…

Why Indonesia cannot afford to scrap Prabowo’s free meals programme Indonesia has vowed to overhaul the country’s ambitious free nutritious meals programme following public pressure and recent allegations of corruption – a move analysts described as a “moderate” concession in lieu of an “embarrassing” discontinuation of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative. The US$15 billion initiative aims to reach 83 million schoolchildren, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers to prevent malnutrition and stunted growth. However, it has been dogged by...

Indonesia arrests former head of President Prabowo’s flagship free meal scheme The scheme was linked to cases of food poisoning that have reportedly affected at least 33,000 children as of April.