Nadiem Makarim's Wealth Increases by Rp4.87 Trillion, Prosecutors Suspect from Chromebook Corruption

Jakarta, VIVA – Public Prosecutor (JPU) from the Attorney General’s Office, Roy Riady, has spotlighted the Rp4.87 trillion increase in the wealth of the defendant, former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Makarim, in 2022. He suspects that this unjustified wealth increase is the result of corruption in the Chromebook case. According to the JPU, the disproportionate increase in Nadiem’s assets compared to his income as a minister occurred during the period of the alleged Chromebook corruption case, from 2019 to 2022. “This is part of the corruption scheme involving unlawful acts or abuse of authority in the defendant’s policy of selecting ChromeOS owned by Google, which constitutes a conflict of interest,” stated the JPU during the reading of the indictment at the Corruption Court in the Central Jakarta District Court (PN Jakpus), quoted from ANTARA, Thursday, 14 May 2026. The JPU explained that when Nadiem first took office as Mendikbudristek in October 2019, he reported his assets as a state official to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) with a total of Rp1.23 trillion. However, in 2022, there was a Rp4.87 trillion increase in Nadiem’s wealth in the State Organiser’s Wealth Report (LHKPN), the origin of which Nadiem could not explain in the trial. Therefore, the JPU is designating the amount as restitution to Nadiem, plus the alleged value of money enjoyed by Nadiem in the suspected Chromebook corruption case amounting to Rp809.59 billion. The Rp809.59 billion is suspected to have been obtained by Nadiem through his company, PT Gojek Indonesia, from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (AKAB). The JPU stated that the money represents economic benefits enjoyed by Nadiem due to his conflict of interest as a minister and as a shareholder of PT AKAB from Google Asia Pacific investments, one of which occurred in October 2021. According to the JPU, Nadiem’s argument or rebuttal that the Rp809.59 billion transaction was in the form of a debt and was transferred back on the same day indicates that the transaction was not normal. “This is a scheme to disguise or enrich the defendant, which in the regime of white-collar crime, this scheme is also used in money laundering offences,” said the JPU.