Indonesia names Nadiem Makarim a suspect in laptop procurement corruption case

Nadiem Makarim (file photo)

Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named former Gojek CEO Nadiem Makarim a suspect in the laptop procurement corruption case that occurred during his time as Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

According to local media reports, Makarim was declared a suspect after the AGO questioned 120 witnesses and four expert witnesses.

He will be detained in Salemba, Central Jakarta, for 20 days.

Previously, the AGO declared four individuals suspects in the laptop procurement case, which has reportedly cost the state close to IDR2 trillion (US$121 million).

The case began in 2019, before Makarim was formally appointed minister in President Joko Widodo’s administration. It started with the creation of a WhatsApp group called “Mas Menteri Core Team” (“Brother Minister’s Core Team”) that includes Makarim, Jurist Tan, and Fiona Handayani.

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This group’s discussions revolved around a plan to foster digital transformation in the national education system, which led to a plan to procure Chromebook laptops.

After his appointment in October 2019, Makarim deployed his close aide Tan to engage in technical talks about Chromebook laptop procurement. Tan brought in consultant Ibrahim Arief, whose involvement allegedly influenced a shift in procurement direction.

By April 2020, an internal technical study concluded that Chrome OS devices were unsuitable for teachers and students. Despite this, a virtual meeting led by Makarim allegedly reversed course and pushed for full adoption of the Chromebooks.

This led to a second, revised technical study favouring Chrome OS, ultimately justifying the purchase of 1.2 million Chromebooks using a mix of state and Special Allocation Funds totalling IDR9.3 trillion (US$565 million).

This arrest was the second announced this week after executives at BRI Ventures and MDI Ventures were arrested for involvement in the TaniHub fraud investment case.