Ex-Indonesian minister Makarim faces graft charges over laptop procurement

Indonesian prosecutors on Monday filed corruption charges against former education minister and the co-founder of startup Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, over alleged improper laptop procurement during the pandemic that led to $125.64 million in state losses.



Makarim, who resigned as chief executive of ride-hailing company Gojek in 2019 to become education minister until 2024, was accused of enriching himself by around 809 billion rupiah ($48.34 million) from the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome OS for schools between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said in the first trial hearing.



Makarim had created tender specifications that only fit the Chrome system to "make Google the sole controller of education ecosystem in Indonesia", prosecutors said.



The charges against Makarim carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.



Makarim has denied wrongdoing, his lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir told reporters, adding that the prosecutors' case lacks strong evidence. Amir said he will ask the court to dismiss the charges.