GoJek co-founder Nadiem Makarim jailed 10 years over Indonesia Chromebook scandal
Indonesian investigators on Thursday named former education minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim as a suspect in a corruption case.
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An Indonesian corruption court on Tuesday sentenced former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim, one of the founders of ride-hailing and payment giant Gojek, to 10 years in prison for corruption.
Makarim was found guilty in a case linked to the purchase of Google Chromebooks for schools in the country education digitization program It lasted from 2019 to 2022.
Makarim, who was education minister from 2019 to 2024, was also fined 1 billion Indonesian rupiah ($55,870) and ordered to pay 809.6 billion rupiah in compensation. If he does not pay his debt, he will face another 5 years in prison.
Prosecutors had demanded 18 years in prison, a fine of 1 billion rupees and compensation of 5.6 trillion rupees for Makarim.
Indonesian Chief Prosecutor declares Makarim a suspect in September 2025He claimed that he and other officials directed specifications to Google products as part of an education digitization program.
in February 2020Makarim met with representatives of Google Indonesia to discuss Google products, including Chromebooks, that can be used by the ministry and students.
“Over several meetings, it was finally decided to use Google’s ChromeOS and Chrome Device Management (CDM) products as a procurement project for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said this was despite a 2019 assessment by the previous education minister that concluded Chromebooks could not be used effectively in various parts of Indonesia, including remote areas.
They claimed that Makarim then helped ensure that Chromebooks were eligible under the purchasing process by publishing technical instructions that included only specifications that matched the ChromeOS system.
prosecutors in question They were purchased for around 6 million rupees per unit, while lower-spec Chromebooks cost around 3 million rupees each.
They also said Google’s investment The company at Gojek’s parent company has influenced the purchase of laptops.
“The case evidence also revealed an alleged conflict of interest in which an investment and operating debt relationship existed between the technology provider and the company owned by the Defendant, thus creating an unhealthy symbiosis in the acquisition of government assets,” said prosecutor Roy Riady.
Google denied the allegationsHe said most of his investments in Gojek-related entities occurred before Makarim was appointed as education minister.
“We did not offer, promise or provide any benefits to Ministry of Education officials in exchange for their decision to adopt Google products.”
The case is among the most high-profile corruption investigations involving a former Indonesian minister.
— CNBC’s Syazwani Sanep contributed to this report.
