ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has opened the possibility of summoning former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation involving the Digitalization of Education Program from 2019 to 2022. The procurement project in question is valued at IDR 9.9 trillion (approximately USD 620 million).
The potential summons follows the recent raids by investigators on the residences of two of Makarim’s former special staff members, identified as FH and JT, on Wednesday, May 21. The raids were conducted at Kuningan Place and Ciputra World 2 Apartments in Jakarta.
“Whoever is relevant to clarifying the criminal act will be called in for questioning, depending on the investigators’ needs,” said Harli Siregar, Head of the Legal Information Center at the AGO, on Tuesday, May 27.
During the searches, the investigators seized several pieces of evidence, including: 1 laptop and 4 mobile phones from FH’s apartment, 1 laptop, 3 external storage devices (hard drives and flash drives), and 15 written documents from JT’s apartment
These items will be examined further as part of the broader corruption probe into the procurement of information and communication technology (ICT) equipment within the Education Ministry.
According to Harli, investigators discovered indications of a criminal conspiracy to manipulate a technical assessment justifying the procurement of Chromebooks—laptops using Google’s Chrome OS—under the pretense of enhancing educational technology.
“The scenario was crafted to make it appear as though Chromebook use was necessary, while in reality, trials in 2019 involving 1,000 units showed they were ineffective as learning tools,” Harli explained.
The primary issue cited was Chromebooks’ reliance on internet connectivity, which remains inconsistent across many parts of Indonesia.
Massive Project Budgeted at IDR 9.9 Trillion
The total budget for the Chromebook procurement project reached IDR 9.9 trillion, broken down as follows: IDR 3.58 trillion from individual school unit budgets, IDR 6.399 trillion from the central government’s Special Allocation Fund (DAK).
While the AGO has yet to finalize its calculations, officials say they are still determining the exact financial losses to the state caused by the alleged corruption.
“We will continue to update the public as this case progresses. It has officially moved from the investigation phase to prosecution,” Harli added.
As of this report’s publication, Nadiem Makarim has not issued any statement or comment regarding the allegations or the possibility of being summoned in connection with the multitrillion-rupiah corruption case that occurred during his tenure as minister. (AT Network)
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