Nadiem: State loss of Rp2 trillion in Chromebook case is fabricated
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019–2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, stated that the state loss of Rp2 trillion in the alleged Chromebook corruption case, in which he is the defendant, is the result of fabrication.
The reason, according to Nadiem, is that the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) has openly admitted in court that they did not compare the Chromebook laptop purchase price with the market price.
“Imagine, friends. So, to measure if the laptop price is too high, but it wasn’t compared with the market price,” said Nadiem when met during a break in the expert witness examination hearing at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday.
Therefore, Nadiem said that this expert witness examination hearing, which featured BPKP auditors, has absolutely proven the fabrication of the state loss.
In the hearing, Nadiem conveyed that the BPKP auditor admitted to using their own margin assumptions in performing the recalculation.
In their calculation, BPKP determined the fair price of the Chromebook laptop at Rp4.3 million, which does not exist in price surveys.
According to him, that figure is not real and does not exist in the market.
“Anyone who wants to measure state loss must compare it with the market price, and this did not happen. This is the strongest evidence that this is not a real loss,” said Nadiem.
The corruption is alleged to have been committed, among other things, by carrying out 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.
Nadiem’s actions are charged as being committed together with three other defendants in separate hearings, namely Ibam, Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as well as Jurist Tan, who is currently a fugitive.
In detail, the state loss caused amounts 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 in the education digitalisation programme.
With those actions, 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 mentioned that most of the source of funds for PT AKAB comes from Google’s investment of US$786.99 million.
This can be seen from Nadiem’s wealth recorded in the State Organiser’s Wealth Report (LHKPN) for 2022, which includes the acquisition of securities worth Rp5.59 trillion.
For his actions, the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology faces imprisonment 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.