Indonesia Detains Former Education Minister, Gojek Co-founder Over $780 Million Laptop Corruption Case

Indonesian authorities have named Nadiem Makarim, co-founder of ride-hailing giant Gojek and education minister from 2019 to 2024, as a suspect in a corruption case involving the procurement of Google's Chromebook laptops for the Education Ministry. Investigators allege that Makarim misused his authority by issuing a 2021 decree specifying procurement requirements that matched only the Chromebook, leading to state losses estimated at approximately 1.98 trillion rupiah (around $121.85 million). He was detained for 20 days as the investigation continues, with prosecutors highlighting multiple meetings between Makarim and Google Indonesia representatives prior to the procurement decision. The Attorney General's Office also raided the offices of GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, the merged entity of Gojek and Tokopedia, to seek evidence related to the case. This investigation is part of a broader probe into alleged corruption involving the procurement of 1.2 million Chromebooks valued at about 10 trillion rupiah, with other suspects named in connection to the scandal, including former executives from related tech companies. Makarim's lawyer has not commented, and Google Indonesia has yet to respond to requests for comment.