Indonesia's Attorney General Rejects Justice Collaborator Status for Sony Sonjaya in Free School Meals Corruption Case

Indonesia's Attorney General's Office (Kejagung) has rejected the justice collaborator application submitted by Sony Sonjaya, former deputy head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), in the corruption investigation of the free school meals program (MBG). Director of Investigation at the Attorney General's Special Crimes Division, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that Sonjaya does not meet the criteria for justice collaborator status, as he is considered a principal perpetrator rather than a secondary figure.

According to Syarief, Sonjaya is the most responsible party in determining and verifying SPPG (Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi/Nutrition Service Unit) points—the distribution locations for the meals program. Additionally, investigators found that Sonjaya has not fully admitted to all charges against him during questioning. Justice collaborator status requires applicants to acknowledge their wrongdoing and not be principal perpetrators. "We concluded that Sonjaya is the most responsible party in the determination or verification of SPPG points. Therefore, he is a principal perpetrator," Syarief stated.

Despite rejecting the application, the Attorney General's Office indicated it will continue to utilize the information Sonjaya has provided to advance the investigation. Sonjaya initially disclosed 26 names of individuals allegedly involved in the scheme to manipulate SPPG point allocations, but this list expanded to 41 names as investigators examined additional documentation, including chat messages and spreadsheets revealing affiliated parties requesting quota points.

The investigation has identified National Nutrition Agency Chair Nanik S Deyang as a person of interest. According to Sonjaya's testimony, Deyang allegedly changed the names of foundations managing SPPG points on multiple occasions—a practice that Kejagung plans to clarify with her. The SPPG points allegedly controlled by Deyang are located across several regions including Madiun in East Java, Tapos in Bogor, and Karang Asem. Six individuals have been formally named as suspects in the case, including former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana, Lodewyk Pusung, Asep Yusuf Somantri, Andri Mulyono, and Glory Harimas Sihombing.

The free school meals program is a priority initiative of President Prabowo Subianto. The corruption allegations center on irregularities in how SPPG points—essentially contracts to provide meals—were allocated and managed, with evidence suggesting the involvement of dummy foundations and unauthorized personnel. The Attorney General's Office emphasized that all evidence will be tested during trial proceedings.