Indonesian prosecutors on Thursday named former education minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim a suspect in a major corruption case and ordered his detention for 20 days while investigations continue.
Makarim, who served as education minister from 2019 to 2024, is accused of abusing his authority in the procurement of Google’s Chromebook laptops for schools under his ministry. Investigators allege that a decree he issued in 2021 set specifications tailored exclusively to the Chromebook, causing state losses estimated at 1.98 trillion rupiah ($121.9 million).
“For investigation purposes, (Makarim) will be detained for the next 20 days,” said Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo, an investigator at the attorney general’s office. He added that Makarim had met with representatives of Google Indonesia six times before the procurement process.
As he was escorted from the prosecutors’ office to a detention facility, Makarim denied wrongdoing. “I did not do anything. God will protect me, the truth will come out,” he told local media. His lawyer has not commented publicly on the case.
Google Indonesia declined to address the allegations directly, saying it only works through resellers and partners and does not transact with government agencies.
The probe has also touched Indonesia’s largest tech company, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia. Prosecutors raided its offices in July in search of evidence, but did not disclose what was found. The company has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Makarim co-founded ride-hailing giant Gojek before leaving the firm in 2019 to join President Joko Widodo’s cabinet. Gojek later merged with e-commerce startup Tokopedia in 2021 to form GoTo, a dominant player in Indonesia’s tech sector.
The case marks one of the highest-profile corruption investigations in recent years, underscoring Indonesia’s continued struggle with graft at senior levels of government.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
