By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-19 03:42:00 | Updated at 2026-06-19 05:29:07
1 hour ago
JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Attorney-General’s Office (AGO) has begun seizing thousands of electric motorcycles procured by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as part of a massive corruption investigation linked to the government’s free nutritious meal programme.
Investigators from the Office of Assistant Attorney-General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) inspected a warehouse in Bogor, West Java, on June 17, where the motorcycles had reportedly been stored unused for months.
Jampidsus director of investigation Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi said the visit was conducted to verify the number of units and seal the storage facility. “The purpose is to check the number of electric motorcycles and seal the site,” Syarief said as quoted by Kompas.com.
He added that inspections and sealing operations would continue at other storage sites in stages.
Syarief said that not all electric motorcycles would be confiscated as part of the investigation, emphasising that the probe was focused on alleged irregularities in the procurement process rather than the physical units themselves.
“Not all of them need to be taken as evidence. The investigation only requires documentation and records related to the procurement process, so there is no need to seize all the units, especially since these are assets that will be used for public service,” he said.
BGN procured more than 21,000 electric motorcycles for kitchen heads under its free meals programme in 2025, at an estimated cost exceeding 1 trillion rupiah (S$72.1 million).
The procurement drew widespread public criticism over alleged wasteful spending, coming as the government implemented austerity measures to ease pressure on the state budget amid rising energy prices driven by geopolitical tensions.
Adding to the controversy, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the Finance Ministry had rejected the proposal to procure the motorcycles, as it was not considered a priority. However, he added that internal miscommunication within the ministry resulted in parts of the proposal being inadvertently approved.
On June 15, the AGO arrested Andri Mulyono, commissioner of logistics company PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal, on suspicion of inflating the prices of electric motorcycles to push the total value of the procurement close to the ceiling of BGN’s budget.
Investigators did not disclose the exact amount of the alleged markup, but alleged Andri unlawfully profited from the manipulated procurement scheme.
Andri’s arrest came just weeks after the AGO detained former BGN head Dadan Hindayana, along with two deputy heads, Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya, over alleged graft related to the management of the free meals program.
In total, the AGO has arrested five individuals in connection with the large-scale corruption case, with investigations ongoing and further suspects expected to be named. BGN deputy head, Agustina Arumsari, said on June 15 that despite an ongoing corruption investigation, electric motorcycles procured by the agency and currently idle in warehouses would be “utilised as much as possible”.
“BGN will coordinate with the AGO regarding the disposal of the assets,” she said.
The approach, she added, would not be limited to motorcycles but would also cover other assets procured under the programme that are linked to the corruption probe.
“The principle is that everything purchased in 2025, since state funds have already been spent, must be utilised as effectively as possible,” she said.
The free meals program is President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program 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. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
