The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has shed new light on the early stages of the controversial Chromebook procurement program, linking the case to a private WhatsApp (WA) group allegedly established before Nadiem Makarim was appointed as Education and Culture Minister in 2019.

Director of Investigations at the AGO’s Special Crimes Division, said that in August 2019, Nadiem, alongside aides Jurist Tan and Fiona Handayani, created a WhatsApp group named "Mas Menteri Core Team" to discuss plans for digitalizing the education sector. The formation of the group reportedly took place before then President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed Nadiem as minister in October 2019.

“This group discussed plans for the digital education program at the Ministry [of Education] in anticipation of NAM [Nadiem Makarim] being appointed,” Qohar told reporters on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

The AGO cited that, by December 2019, Jurist Tan acting on Nadiem’s behalf initiated technical discussions with YK, a representative from the Center for Education Policy Studies (PSPK), to explore ChromeOS-based procurement strategies.

At Tan’s request, YK later arranged a consultancy role for Ibrahim Arief at PSPK, focusing on advising the ministry’s IT acquisition strategy.

Tan and Fiona, neither of whom held official procurement authority, were said to have led Zoom meetings instructing directors within the ministry specifically, Director of Primary Education, Sri Wahyuningsih, and Director of Junior Secondary Education, Mulyatsyah, to prepare for the ChromeOS rollout.

“Presidential Special Staffers have no formal authority over state procurement planning or execution,” Qohar emphasized.

In early 2020, Nadiem allegedly held two meetings with WKM and PRA, representatives from Google, to discuss the education ministry’s technology needs.

He then instructed Jurist Tan to negotiate with Google for a potential co-investment scheme reportedly involving a 30 percent financial contribution from the tech giant, contingent on the education ministry adopting ChromeOS from 2020 to 2022.

Prosecutors said these discussions were followed by a meeting on May 6, 2020, in which Nadiem, Jurist Tan, Sri Wahyuningsih, Mulyatsyah, and consultant Ibrahim Arief all participated.

The result: an internal directive to proceed with ChromeOS-based IT procurement months before the official bidding process was initiated.

The ministry eventually procured Chromebooks worth Rp 9.3 trillion (US$575 million). However, the devices were later deemed ineffective, with reports from teachers and students citing technical difficulties and low usability.

Criminal charges

As of this week, four individuals Jurist Tan, Mulyatsyah, Sri Wahyuningsih, and Ibrahim Arief have been named suspects by the AGO. Jurist Tan is currently listed as a fugitive and believed to be overseas.

The AGO says the case reveals troubling signs of conflict of interest, abuse of power, and premature influence over state procurement processes, especially given the involvement of non-authorized individuals in planning and directing billion-rupiah government contracts.

While former minister Nadiem Makarim has not been formally charged, prosecutors have made repeated references to his alleged role in the planning and early decision-making surrounding the project, raising questions over the extent of his involvement and political accountability.