Director of PT Dell Indonesia Denies Enrichment of Rp112,684,732,796.22 in Chromebook Case

Director of PT Dell Indonesia, Alexander Vidi Firdaus, testified as a witness for the public prosecutor at the continuation of the Chromebook procurement corruption case in the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday, 5 March. He said he did not know the basis for the calculation that alleged his company had been enriched by Rp112,684,732,796.22 in the Chromebook procurement project and Chrome Device Management (CDM). He maintained that the project, in reality, harmed the company and generated a negative margin. In the indictment, PT Dell Indonesia is said to have benefited by Rp112,684,732,796.22 as one of the executing vendors of the Chromebook project, though Firdaus insisted he did not know where that figure originated. Nadiem Makarim’s counsel pointed to the indictment’s claim of hundreds of billions of rupiah in enrichment. “But in the indictment, you were enriched by Rp112 billion, sir,” the lawyer stated in court. “Well, I do not know the calculation, because when it was with BPKP, all the documents were taken. Before being summoned by the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office and BPKP, their team had already come to the office to take all documents,” Firdaus replied. He confirmed he had been questioned by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) about the project. During that examination, Firdaus said he explained that, from a business calculation perspective, the project produced a negative margin. “Yes,” he answered when asked if he had explained the negative margin to the auditor. “Explain, Sir,” he was asked if he had presented the negative margin to the auditor. Firdaus explained that in reality the company still had to pay the factory for the goods, while payments received from distributors aligned with the purchase order (PO) documents. He argued there was no room to request additional payments beyond the PO. “Cannot ask for more, because it is in accordance with the PO. So in real terms, yes, we are losing money,” he said. Nadiem’s counsel reiterated that the term “enrichment” in the indictment implies an increase in wealth. “Correct, but I do not know how the figure was derived; there should be data,” Firdaus replied. In this case, Nadiem is accused of carrying out a corruption offence in the Chromebook laptop procurement project during his term as Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. The project is said to have caused state losses of Rp2.1 trillion. Earlier, Nadiem had submitted an objection or plea against the indictment. However, the panel of judges rejected the plea and ordered the trial to proceed to the evidence phase with witness examinations. (Muhammad Ghifari A/E-4) Nadiem Makarim responded to testimony by some witnesses from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology who claimed to have received money, saying he was surprised by the court’s findings. Several witnesses testified that they received payments of USD 30,000 and Rp200 million in connection with the Chromebook procurement case. The ongoing Chromebook procurement case hearing, with the examination of witnesses requested by the Public Prosecutor, has revealed several key facts. The Jakarta Corruption Court’s panel rejected Nadiem Makarim’s objections in the Chromebook procurement case. The appearance of military personnel in full combat dress at the trial drew criticism from Amnesty International Indonesia. Nadiem Makarim responded to testimony by several witnesses from the Kemendikbudristek who claimed to have received money, saying he was surprised by the court’s revelations. Witnesses testified receiving money amounting to USD 30,000 and Rp200 million related to the Chromebook procurement case. Nadiem Makarim attended the trial’s initial hearing on the Chromebook case, denying technical intervention and questioning the Rp1.5 trillion state loss figure. The Attorney General’s Office questioned the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim as a suspect in the Chromebook system procurement case, on Tuesday (14/10). Anang stated that the money had been returned in rupiah and dollars; the total is still being tallied by investigators. Copyright © 2026 Media Group - mediaindonesia. All Rights Reserved.