Expert: Nadiem's Tax Return Does Not Show Receipt of Rp809 Billion Funds

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A tax expert from the Directorate General of Taxes at the Ministry of Finance, Meidijati, revealed that Nadiem Anwar Makarim’s Annual Tax Return (SPT) does not show any receipt of funds amounting to Rp809 billion. This amount represents the money allegedly received by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the period 2019–2024 in the alleged Chromebook corruption case. “However, this needs to be proven because this Rp809 billion appears in the SPT report of Gojek Indonesia, where GoTo (Gojek Tokopedia) made an investment in Gojek Indonesia in 2021,” said Meidijati while providing testimony at the examination hearing at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday. She also explained that annual SPT reporting is based on the year-end balance, not per transaction. Therefore, to answer in detail regarding the flow of those funds, she said, Nadiem’s bank accounts must be opened to ensure further verification. In the alleged corruption case of the education digitalisation programme involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for 2019–2022, Nadiem is accused of corruption that harms state finances by Rp2.18 trillion. The corruption is alleged to have been committed, among others, by implementing the procurement of information and communication technology-based learning facilities in the form of Chromebook laptops and CDM for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years not in accordance with the procurement planning and principles of procurement. In detail, the state losses caused amount to Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitalisation programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, as well as US$44.05 million or equivalent to Rp621.39 billion due to the procurement of unnecessary and unbeneficial CDM for the education digitalisation programme. With that act, Nadiem is alleged to have received money amounting to Rp809.59 billion originating from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia. It is stated that most of the source of funds for PT AKAB comes from Google’s investment worth US$786.99 million. This can be seen from Nadiem’s wealth recorded in the LHKPN for 2022, which includes asset acquisition in the form of securities worth Rp5.59 trillion. For his actions, the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology faces punishment as regulated in Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) first of the Criminal Code.