Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim detained in Indonesia's Chromebook corruption probe

Indonesia’s digital economy was rocked on Thursday when prosecutors detained Nadiem Makarim (pictured), the former education minister and co-founder of ride-hailing giant Gojek, naming him a suspect in a high-profile corruption case.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that Makarim would be held for 20 days while investigations continue into alleged irregularities in the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops for schools. Investigators estimate state losses of IDR 1.98 trillion (US$120 million). Makarim has since insisted on his innocence. “For my family and my four toddlers. Stay strong, the truth will be revealed,” he told reporters. “God will protect me. God knows the truth.”

Don't miss: Google hit with lawsuit by adtech firm over alleged anticompetitive practices

The Chromebook procurement saga traces back to 2019, when a pilot programme under then-minister Muhadjir Effendy failed in schools across Indonesia’s remote 3T regions. After Makarim assumed office in late 2019, he reportedly opened discussions with Google Indonesia on adopting Chromebooks, ChromeOS and Chrome Device Management for schools.

In a closed Zoom meeting on 6 May 2020, he reportedly instructed senior staff that Chromebooks should be made mandatory in upcoming procurement.

Subsequently, the technical team prepared a review that was turned into technical specifications explicitly mentioning ChromeOS. In February 2021, Makarim issued Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2021 on operational guidelines for the 2021 education budget’s special allocation fund, whose annex already referred to ChromeOS specifications.

Prosecutors say the move violated several regulations, including Presidential Regulation No. 123/2020 on technical guidelines for the 2021 education budget, Presidential Regulation No. 16/2018 as amended by No. 12/2021 on government procurement, and LKPP Regulations No. 7/2018 and No. 11/2021 on procurement planning.

Makarim is the fifth suspect named in the alleged Chromebook corruption case, after four earlier suspects: former ministry directors Mulyatsyah and Sri Wahyuningsih, consultant Ibrahim Arief, and former special staffer Jurist Tan.

Google Indonesia did not comment directly on the charges but reiterated its procurement model - government agencies transact with local resellers and partners, not with Google itself.

The scandal has inevitably pulled Gojek’s name into the spotlight, even though Makarim left the company in 2019 to join the cabinet. In July, prosecutors raided the Jakarta office of GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Indonesia’s largest tech firm formed from Gojek’s 2021 merger with Tokopedia, seeking evidence linked to the probe.

GoTo was quick to distance itself. “GoTo’s operations have never been related to Nadiem Makarim’s duties as education minister, including in Chromebook procurement within the education ministry,” said Ade Mulya, GoTo’s director of public affairs and communications. He stressed that Makarim has had no formal role in the company since October 2019 and is not a controlling shareholder.

Makarim’s lawyer, celebrity attorney Hotman Paris Hutapea, maintained his client’s innocence on Friday. “Nadiem Makarim did not receive a single cent, there was no mark-up, and nobody was enriched,” he said, adding he could prove as much “in 10 minutes” before President Prabowo Subianto.

The former minister could face up to life imprisonment if found guilty under Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws.

Related articles:
Danantara appoints GoTo's ESG architect Tanah Sullivan as global relations director
Grab dismisses GoTo merger talk as speculation resurfaces
Prabowo 100 days: What are some of the noticeable online sentiment shifts?