TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, is said to have been indicated in a corruption case related to the procurement of Chromebook devices. However, the Attorney General's Office has not named Nadiem Makarim as a suspect in the case, which caused the state a loss of around Rp 1.98 trillion.

So, why hasn't the Attorney General's Office named Nadiem Makarim as a suspect?

In this case, Nadiem has been questioned twice by the Attorney General's Office investigators, on June 23, 2025, and July 15, 2025. He is said to have played a significant role in promoting the procurement of laptops based on the Chrome OS. This plan had even been discussed in a group created two months before he was inaugurated as minister.

"The group discussed a plan for digitalizing the education program at the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology if NAM (Nadiem Anwar Makarim) were appointed as a minister," said the Director of Investigation at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Criminal Acts (Jampidsus) Abdul Qohar in a press conference in Jakarta, Tuesday night, July 15, 2025.

The Attorney General's Office has named four suspects in this case. They are the former special staff or staffs of the Minister of Education and Culture and the Minister of Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim, Jurist Tan; the former consultant of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology, Ibrahim Arief; the Director of Primary School at the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology for the period 2020-2021, Sri Wahyuningsih; and the Director of Junior High School at the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology, Mulyatsyah.

The Attorney General's Office Still Needs to Examine the Evidence

On the past Tuesday, Nadiem Makarim was questioned for nine hours. However, the investigators stated that they have not named him as a suspect yet because they still need to further examine the evidence. "Naming someone as a suspect requires at least two pieces of evidence. We are still developing other evidence," said Qohar.

The Attorney General's Office Reveals Indications of Nadiem's Involvement

Qohar admitted that based on the testimonies of witnesses and the four previously named suspects, Nadiem had chaired a virtual meeting that promoted the use of Chrome OS, even though the bidding process had not started at that time. However, the investigators still need additional evidence. "We also need other evidence, such as documents, instructions, or expert testimonies," he said.

The Attorney General's Office Investigates the Possibility of Nadiem's Gains

According to Qohar, the investigators are currently probing the possibility of Nadiem gaining from the procurement of Chromebook laptops, both directly and indirectly through the policy of procuring laptops based on Chrome OS.

One of the aspects being investigated is the connection between this policy and Google's investment in Gojek, a company founded by Nadiem before taking up a ministerial position. "What gains did NAM obtain, this is what we are currently investigating. The investigators are focused on this, including the information about investments from Google to Gojek, which was mentioned earlier," said Qohar.

The Attorney General's Office States Someone Can Still Be Named a Suspect if They Cause State Financial Losses

Qohar affirmed that an individual can still be charged under Articles 2 and 3 of the Corruption Law even if they do not personally benefit, as long as it is proven that there was malicious intent and unlawful acts that caused state financial losses.

The Attorney General's Office Ensures Naming of Suspects if Evidence Is Sufficient

The Attorney General's Office ensures that the investigation will not stop at the initial stage. Qohar urged the public not to speculate and to await the legal process. "When it comes to the law, it's about evidence. When we have sufficient evidence, we will definitely name the suspect, whoever they may be," he said.

Intan Setiawanty and Jihan Ristiyanti contributed to this article

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