ICW Urges AGO to Probe Nadiem Makarim for Alleged Chromebook Corruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is currently investigating alleged corruption in the procurement of laptops worth Rp9.9 trillion at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in 2020-2022.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Legislative Monitoring Committee (KOPEL) urge the Attorney General's Office to investigate relevant parties, including Nadiem Makarim, who was the minister at the time.

"We urge the Attorney General's Office to investigate the authorities involved in the procurement, including (former) Minister Nadiem Makarim," ICW wrote in a press release on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

ICW and KOPEL suspected anomalies in the Chromebook procurement at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to their study, there was no sense of urgency in the procurement, as it was in the midst of the pandemic emergency. Additionally, the procurement process was considered to have violated regulations and lacked transparency.

At that time, the Chromebook procurement was partly funded through the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for physical infrastructure, which should have been based on proposals from regional governments. However, in practice, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology directly designated this program as a national priority. "This procurement does not comply with Presidential Regulation No. 123 of 2020," ICW and KOPEL wrote.

Information on the procurement was also not available in the General Procurement Plan Information System (SiRUP), making it difficult for the public to monitor the process. The specification of the laptops also sparked criticism. The government specified the use of the Chrome OS operating system, which was deemed unsuitable for the 3T (underdeveloped, frontier, and remote) regions targeted for distribution due to limited internet access.

"Laptop procurement that appears to be forced often stems from collusion, which leads to corruption," said ICW.

Other anomalies arose from the technical specifications and the Domestic Content Level (TKDN) requirements, which were considered to limit provider competition. Only six companies were deemed eligible, including PT Zyrexindo Mandiri Buana, PT Supertone, and Acer Manufacturing Indonesia. ICW considered this to be contrary to the spirit of Law No. 5 of 1999 concerning the Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Unfair Business Competition.

ICW also highlighted the role of the minister's special staff mentioned in the Attorney General's investigation. They stated that the special staff did not have authority in the procurement process. "The authorized parties are the Commitment Making Officer (PPK), the budget user, and the budget user, namely the Minister," said an ICW researcher.

They urged the Attorney General not to focus solely on the special staff. Furthermore, the specifications for Chromebook laptops are listed in the annex of Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 5 of 2021, signed by Nadiem Makarim.

"It is a flagship program that is currently being heavily questioned, and Minister Nadiem should strengthen internal oversight to prevent procurement from falling into corruption," ICW wrote.

ICW and KOPEL also requested the Attorney General to clarify information about the investigation, including the alleged corruption and estimated state losses. Additionally, they encouraged the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, now led by a new minister, to evaluate the digital education program for the period of 2019-2024 and make the results available to the public.

The Attorney General's Office has reportedly searched the homes of three special staff members of former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim. This case occurred during Nadiem Makarim's leadership.

Editor’s Choice: Ex-Minister Nadiem Makarim Not on Wanted List, Confirms AGO

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