The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) named on Thursday, September 4, 2025, former Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim assuspect in a Rp1.98 trillion (US$124.7 million) corruption case related to the procurement of Chromebooks under the government’s Education Digitalization program between 2019 and 2022.

The case, which surfaced in May 2025, involves the purchase of 1.2 million laptops at a total cost of Rp9.3 trillion (US$600 million), funded through both the State budget (Rp 3.6 trillion) and special allocation funds (Rp 5.6 trillion).

Investigators allege the laptops were overpriced and underutilized in schools due to their complex operating system, causing significant state losses.

“The laptops were mandated to use Chrome OS by Nadiem Makarim, but their functionality was not optimal for teachers and students,” AGO Special Crimes Director Abdul Qohar told a press conference on Thursday.

The AGO’s investigation reveals that discussions on the project began even before Nadiem’s official appointment. In August 2019, a private WhatsApp group titled Mas Menteri Core Team comprising Nadiem, Jurist Tan, and Fiona Handayani was created to plan a digital transformation in education, in anticipation of Nadiem's cabinet appointment.

Nadiem was formally appointed minister on October 19, 2019, and soon after, procurement plans for education technology began to take shape. In December that year, Jurist Tan, later appointed as Nadiem’s special staffer, reportedly met with stakeholders to discuss the implementation of Chrome OS in schools.

The AGO alleged that Jurist coordinated with a third party, Yeti Khim of the Center for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK), to recruit PSPK employee Ibrahim Arief as a technology consultant at the ministry’s so-called "Warung Teknologi" unit.

Between February and April 2020, Jurist held meetings with representatives from Google identified as WKM and PRA on Nadiem’s instructions. Discussions included the possibility of a 30 percent co-investment from Google should the Ministry proceed with using Chrome OS.

On April 17, 2020, Ibrahim allegedly demonstrated the Chromebook’s features to influence the ministry’s technical team and directed them to issue a favorable technical assessment. When the first report failed to recommend Chrome OS, a second version was drafted in compliance with Nadiem’s directive, Qohar said.

This directive was reiterated in a Zoom meeting on May 6, 2020, attended by Nadiem, Jurist, and other key ministry officials. Following this, Sri Wahyuningsih (Director of Elementary Schools) and Mulatsyah (Director of Junior High Schools) − both at the Education ministry − instructed their teams to proceed with the Chromebook procurement and issued relevant technical guidelines.

“The special staff of a minister is not authorized to be involved in the planning or procurement of goods and services,” Qohar emphasized.

The AGO calculated the financial loss using an illegal gain method, determining that the inflated prices yielded unlawful profits for suppliers. As of July 2025, four individuals had been named suspects: Jurist Tan, Ibrahim Arief, Sri Wahyuningsih, and Mulatsyah.

Both Sri and Mulatsyah were detained immediately, while Ibrahim was placed under city arrest due to chronic heart issues. Jurist Tan remains at large abroad.

On Thursday, Nadiem became the fifth suspect in the widening probe. The AGO said more charges could follow as investigations continue.