Indonesia detains former minister and Gojek founder as suspect in graft case
Nadiem Makarim, founder of the Indonesian ride-hailing and online payment firm Gojek waves to journalists as he arrives at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct 21, 2019. (File photo: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)
JAKARTA: Indonesian investigators on Thursday (Sep 4) named a former education minister and co-founder of ride-hailing firm Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, as a suspect in a corruption case about alleged improper laptop procurement and said he had been detained.
An investigator at the attorney general's office said Makarim would be detained for 20 days while the investigation proceeds.
Makarim, education minister between 2019 and 2024, was accused of involvement in the procurement of Google's Chromebook laptops for use at his ministry and by students, said investigator Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo.
Makarim's lawyer did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
He was accused of misusing his authority as minister to enrich himself or a company, Nurcahyo said, in violation of Indonesia's anti-corruption laws. Investigators estimated the case had caused losses to the state of 1.98 trillion rupiah (US$121.85 million).
"For investigation purposes, (Makarim) will be detained for the next 20 days," Nurcahyo told a press conference.
The prosecutors found that Makarim had issued a decree in 2021 containing procurement specifications that matched only the Chromebook laptop, Nurcahyo said.
Before selecting the Chromebook, Makarim met representatives of Google Indonesia six times, Nurcahyo told reporters.
Google did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
In July, the attorney general's office raided the office of Indonesia tech firm GoTo Gojek Tokopedia to search for evidence related to the case but did not provide further details.
GoTo Gojek Tokopedia did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Makarim left Gojek after he was appointed minister in 2019. Gojek merged with e-commerce startup Tokopedia in 2021 to form GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Indonesia's largest tech company.
