TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named a new suspect in the alleged corruption involving the free nutritious meal (MBG) program. The suspect is Brigadier General Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, the Secretary of the Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).
According to the deputy director of AGO's Special Criminal Investigation, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, Lalu still serves as an active-duty police officer. "Yes, that's correct [active police officer], but he works for BGN," said Syarief during a press conference on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Lalu had asked witnesses YCS and RD to establish a company in 2025 to sell food trays or "ompreng," used in the MBG program to potential Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) partners.
According to Syarief, the food trays were sold at a price predetermined by Lalu. "So, within that price, some were channeled into Mr. LMI," said Syarief.
The prosecution named Lalu as a suspect a few days prior, charged with Article 12 letter a, letter b, or letter e of the Anti-Corruption Law in conjunction with the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP).
Lalu is currently detained at the Salemba Prison for the next twenty days, according to Syarief.
Previously, prosecution named six suspects in the alleged corruption case involving the free nutritius meal program, including former Chair of BGN Dadan Hindayana and his two deputies, Sony Sanjaya and Lodewyk Pusung.
AGO also named Asep Yusuf Somantri, a close associate of Sony Sanjaya, as a suspect. Meanwhile, the other two suspects are Commissioner of PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal (PT YAT), a provider of electric motorcycles for BGN, Andri Mulyono, and the Chairperson of the Indonesia Food Security Review Foundation (IFSR), Glory Harimas Sihombing.
Read: Prabowo Lauds Police Role in Free Nutritious Meal Program
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