Dadan Hindayana (centre) is escorted by officers from Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office after being questioned over alleged misuse of funds in the free school meals programme. (AFP pic)
JAKARTA: 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 custody in Jakarta on Wednesday.
They stand accused of “crimes in the management” of the programme, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi of the attorney general’s office told reporters.
Authorities earlier raided the nutrition agency’s office as well as the homes of the three defendants, Syarief said.
The government says the programme has provided meals to more than 61 million people by March, but tens of thousands of people have fallen ill since it was rolled out in January last year.
Critics have called for the scheme to be suspended over hygiene concerns and accusations of corruption.
Last month, anti-graft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch filed a complaint against Dadan citing alleged budget irregularities.
Syarief said on Wednesday that foundations appointed by the three defendants to oversee kitchens were allegedly “used as vehicles for crimes”.
“Those foundations received billions of rupiahs in incentives every day, and those foundations were affiliated, owned by” the suspects, he added.
The trio are also accused of overseeing illicit procurement of electric motorbikes, shoes, tablets and television sets.
If found guilty, they could face life imprisonment.
The free meal scheme had a goal of reaching at least 82.9 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women — nearly one-third of the country’s population.
More than 20% of children in Indonesia are affected by stunting caused by severe malnutrition.
The programme was among the first budget items to be cut back as Jakarta moved to counter the economic impact of the Middle East war.
Dadan, who just Tuesday attended an official event by Prabowo’s side, told parliament last year the programme was responsible for at least 11,000 poisoning cases, with over 600 people hospitalised.
Prabowo has also acknowledged problems and vowed to discipline anyone found guilty of wrongdoing.
Announcing Dadan’s dismissal on Tuesday, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said that “throughout the ongoing evaluation process, all programmes of the National Nutrition Agency will continue to run as they should”.
