Nadiem Claims BPKP's Chromebook Laptop Price Calculation Irregular and Assumptions-Based

JAKARTA — Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim has dismissed the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency’s (BPKP) calculation of a fair price for Chromebook laptops at Rp 4.3 million as irregular and based on BPKP’s own assumptions.

“Today it is proven once again that the fair price determined by BPKP, which is Rp 4.3 million, is a highly unreasonable price. And all principals today, and there is also a reseller saying that is a loss-making price,” Nadiem stated during a break in the Chromebook corruption case hearing at Jakarta’s Corruption Court on Monday (9 March 2026).

Nadiem revealed he has long questioned where BPKP derived the Rp 4.3 million figure. Previous witnesses had testified that the Chromebook prices they identified ranged between Rp 5-7 million.

After hearing witness testimonies, Nadiem concluded that BPKP had calculated the figure using self-assumed numbers. “It turns out that the Rp 4.3 million figure is based on BPKP’s own assumptions about what they believed the margin should be at each point in the supply chain,” he said.

Nadiem characterised this calculation method as irregular and shocking. “This means there is no overpricing. Because the price stated is a loss-making price. The alleged state loss of Rp 2 trillion does not exist. And if there is no state loss, there is no case,” Nadiem stated.

Nadiem stressed that he never intervened in the procurement process during his tenure as minister. “Not only did I not intervene in the procurement process, but the case itself does not exist. Thank you and thank you for your prayers,” he concluded.

Nadiem Makarim faces charges of causing state financial losses of Rp 2.1 trillion in a suspected corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops. He is accused alongside three other defendants: former technology consultant at the Education Ministry Ibrahim Arief, former Director of Secondary Schools at the Education Ministry Mulyatsyah, and former Director of Primary Schools at the Education Ministry Sri Wahyuningsih.

The state loss calculation is divided into two components: procurement of Chromebook-based laptops and procurement of Chrome Device Management (CDM).