Jakarta — Indonesia's Attorney General Office (AGO) named an active police general and a military colonel as suspects in the corruption case surrounding the government's free nutritious meal program (MBG) on Thursday, 2 July 2026 deepening a graft investigation that has now reached into both the police and military.
Brigadier General Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, who serves as Secretary of the Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), was named a suspect this week, prosecutors said.
"A few days ago, we named one more suspect, namely Mr. L.M.I., who served as Head of the Legal and Public Relations Bureau at BGN until March 2025 and currently serves as Secretary of the Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation," said Director of Investigations at AGO's Deputy for Special Crimes Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi in a press briefing in Jakarta.
According to prosecutors, Mahardan directed two witnesses to set up a company that sold food trays to prospective local partners of the MBG program, known as SPPG or MBG kitchens, at prices he controlled.
"Part of that price went to Mr. L.M.I. so that the site would be approved along with the sale of the food trays," Nahdi said. Mahardan, who remains an active police officer, is being held for 20 days at the Salemba detention center's South Jakarta branch.
Responding to questions about an active police officer's involvement, National Police Spokesman Inspector General Johnny Eddizon Isir said the force would not protect its personnel from prosecution.
"We are committed to ensuring there is no impunity for any member of the police," Isir said, adding that the institution would support and respect the ongoing legal process.
Prosecutors also disclosed the alleged involvement of an active Indonesian Army colonel, identified only by the initials B.U., who served as a procurement officer overseeing BGN's motorcycle purchases. He is suspected of steering supplier selection and inflating prices, though he has not yet been formally named a suspect.
"We found there's involvement of a military active personnel - another suspect - who holds the position as secretary deputy for procurement and distribution of the BGN as well as the official who make contracts of goods and services, especially purchasing motorcycles," Prosector Nahdi said.
