Nadiem Denies Creating 'Mas Menteri Core Team' WhatsApp Group Before Assuming Ministerial Post

Former Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim denied creating a WhatsApp group called “Mas Menteri Core Team” before taking office as minister. Nadiem stated that the group he created was actually named “Edu Org”.

This was conveyed by Nadiem Makarim whilst serving as a crown witness in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebook and Chrome Device Management (CDM) devices at the Jakarta Corruption Court, on Tuesday, 10 March 2026. The defendants in this trial are Mulyatsyah, Director of Junior High School at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology in 2020; Sri Wahyuningsih, Director of Primary School within the Directorate General of Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary Education for 2020-2021; and Ibrahim Arief, also known as Ibam, a consultant.

“In August 2019, before you assumed office as minister, you created a WhatsApp group called Mas Menteri Core Team?” asked the prosecutor.

“That is not true,” Nadiem replied.

“Or did you join such a group?” the prosecutor asked.

“That is not true. I created the group, but its name was Edu Org,” Nadiem responded.

Nadiem stated that the “Edu Org” group was only renamed after he was inaugurated as Education Minister. For information, Nadiem is also a defendant in this case, but is being tried in a separate docket.

“Edu Org only changed its name when I was inaugurated as minister. That same group became ‘Mas Menteri Core Team’. That is according to my recollection,” said Nadiem.

In this hearing, Nadiem also stated that the Chromebook and CDM programme was created for regions that had electricity access, internet access and capacity. He said this programme was not intended for disadvantaged, frontier, or outermost regions, known as 3T areas.

“However, looking at the criteria presented on 6 May very clearly in yesterday’s hearing, the target of this laptop procurement was only for regions that have electricity access, have internet access, had not previously received laptops, and have capacity. If I recall correctly, sufficient student capacity so that the buildings are large and neighbouring schools could participate during the National Assessment of Competency, if I recall correctly, that was the reason,” said Nadiem.

“So the prosecutor’s question is that is what I wanted to try to answer — that these considerations were discussed in it, but what was interesting in the 6 May meeting was never presented to me that this programme was for 3T areas. And it turns out, through the trial process, all witnesses also mentioned that the target of this programme was not 3T areas but rather schools that have internet and electricity access,” added Nadiem.

Previously, the trial of the accusations against Mulyatsyah, Sri and Ibam was held on Tuesday, 16 December 2025. The prosecutors charged Mulyatsyah, Sri and Ibam with causing state financial losses of Rp 2.1 trillion in the case.

The prosecutors stated that the calculation of state financial losses of Rp 2.1 trillion comes from the overpriced Chromebook laptops totalling Rp 1,567,888,662,716.74 (1.5 trillion rupiah). Additionally, from the procurement of unnecessary and non-beneficial CDM valued at USD 44,054,426 or approximately Rp 621,387,678,730 (621 billion rupiah).

“Which caused state financial losses of Rp 1,567,888,662,716.74 based on the audit report for the calculation of state financial losses concerning the alleged corruption case in the education digitalisation programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology from 2019 to 2022, Number PE.03.03/SR/SP-920/D6/02/2025 dated 4 November 2025 from the Financial and Development Supervisory Board of the Republic of Indonesia,” said Prosecutor Roy Riady whilst reading the indictment at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

“And state financial losses resulting from the procurement of Chrome Device Management, which was unnecessary and non-beneficial, under the Education Digitalisation Programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology from 2019 to 2022, totalling USD 44,054,426 or at minimum Rp 621,387,678,730,” he added.