State Loses Rp2.8 Trillion, Nadiem Charged with Accepting Rp809.56 Billion in Corruption Proceeds

Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Anwar Makarim (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Attorney General's Prosecutor (JPU) suspects that the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim received a flow of funds of IDR 809.59 billion originating from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia in the case of alleged corruption in the education digitization program.

The allegation was conveyed by JPU Roy Riady when reading the indictment against Nadiem at the Corruption Crime Court at the Central Jakarta District Court, Monday. The hundreds of billions of rupiah were said to be related to the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) in the environment of the Ministry of Education and Culture in the period 2019-2022.

"With this act, the defendant Nadiem Anwar Makarim is suspected of having received money amounting to IDR 809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa through PT Gojek Indonesia," said the JPU in the trial.

In the same indictment, the JPU stated that the procurement of Chromebooks and CDM was carried out in accordance with the planning and principles of procurement of goods and services of the government. As a result, the state is suspected of incurring financial losses of IDR 2.18 trillion.

The losses consist of Rp1.56 trillion from the education digitization program at the Ministry of Education and Culture as well as 44.05 million US dollars or the equivalent of Rp621.39 billion due to the procurement of CDM which was deemed unnecessary and did not provide optimal benefits.

The JPU also accused Nadiem of committing this act together with Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, Sri Wahyuningsih, and Jurist Tan. They are said to have played a role in the preparation of studies, specification determination, to the budgeting of the procurement of Chromebooks and CDM which are not based on the real needs of education, especially in the lagging, leading, and outermost areas (3T).

For his actions, Nadiem was charged with violating Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code. 1.