Nadiem's Plea: Chromebook Programme Saved Rp3.9 Trillion in Budget
Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, has claimed that the procurement of Chromebooks, which is currently being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office, actually saved the budget by Rp3.9 trillion. This was stated by Nadiem while reading his defence plea at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday.
Nadiem explained that the budget savings resulted from the fact that procuring laptops with Chrome OS required only Rp98 million per school, whereas forcing the use of Windows devices would have required Rp148 million per school. “The ministry’s policy to choose the free Chrome OS has absolutely saved the Indonesian state’s expenditure by at least 3.9 trillion rupiah. This figure is far above the alleged state losses,” Nadiem said.
He added, “If I am found guilty, does it mean the state believes the ministry should have chosen the more expensive option? This is the irony of this case. I am facing a 27.5-year prison sentence for a policy that has saved trillions in state funds.”
Furthermore, Nadiem claimed that the decision to select Chrome OS was not within his authority as Minister, asserting that he never signed any documents related to the Chromebook procurement under the ministry. He noted that recommendations for a combination of Windows and Chrome OS were ultimately changed by the technical team to be entirely Chrome OS, without his decision.
Nadiem also refuted allegations from the Public Prosecutor that the Chromebook laptops are idle and useless in the field. He cited an audit by the BPKP (Financial and Development Supervisory Agency) proving that 95 per cent of students, 86 per cent of teachers, and 57 per cent of headmasters were still utilising Chromebooks during the 2023-2024 period. “Chromebooks are widely used in both cities and regions with 3G access. Based on trial facts and human resource login data, it is proven that 85 per cent of all Chromebooks purchased since 2020 are still in use in 2025,” he stated.
Nadiem also expressed confusion as to why the procurement of Chromebooks priced at approximately Rp5 million is being legally processed, while during the same period, laptop procurement for various government agencies, including the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court, reached Rp11 million per unit—twice the price of the Chromebook. “The argument regarding state losses based on overpriced laptops is very fragile. There was no involvement of mine in the procurement, and there is no causality between the OS specification policy and the laptop price,” he added.
Previously, the Public Prosecutor of the Attorney General’s Office requested the Jakarta Corruption Court judges to sentence Nadiem Anwar Makarim to 18 years in prison and a fine of Rp1 billion, with a subsidiary of 190 days in prison. The prosecution also demanded that Nadiem pay restitution amounting to Rp809,597,125,000 and Rp4,871,469,603,758, representing wealth disproportionate to his legitimate income or suspected to originate from corruption. If the restitution is not paid, it will be replaced by 9 years of imprisonment. The prosecutors stated that the former Minister of Education under President Joko Widodo was proven to have caused state financial losses in the procurement of Chromebooks and CDM for the 2020-2022 fiscal years.