TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim attended an indictment hearing on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in the alleged corruption case surrounding the procurement of Chromebook laptops at the Central Jakarta District Court.
Nadiem, who is one of the defendants in the case, said he hoped the court would eventually acquit him based on the facts presented during the trial.
“Of course, I hope for an acquittal because the verdict should follow the facts revealed in court,” Nadiem told reporters before the hearing. “We will see later whether those facts are reflected in the indictment.”
The former minister said he was prepared to undergo the legal proceedings despite needing surgery later that evening due to a medical condition.
“I am ready to face today’s hearing, even though I will undergo surgery at the hospital tonight. Whatever happens today, I will face it,” he said.
Prosecutors charged Nadiem under Articles 2 and 3 of Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Law in conjunction with Article 55 of the Criminal Code, accusing him of unlawfully enriching himself and several private companies through the Chromebook procurement project.
According to the indictment, Nadiem allegedly received Rp809.59 million (US$49,000) and facilitated benefits for 12 private companies involved as Chromebook vendors.
Prosecutors alleged that the decision to procure Chromebooks was tied to Nadiem’s business interests and aimed at encouraging Google to increase its investment and place funds in PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (AKAB), a company founded by Nadiem.
Following the 2021 merger between Gojek and Tokopedia, AKAB became part of GoTo Gojek Tokopedia. Google had previously been one of Gojek’s longstanding business partners before the merger.
Prosecutors said the Chromebook procurement project caused state losses totaling Rp2.1 trillion (US$127 million). The figure includes Rp1.56 trillion based on an audit by Indonesia’s Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) related to Chromebook procurement, as well as US$44 million, or approximately Rp621.38 billion, linked to the procurement of Chrome Device Management services.
