Prosecutors Claim Nadiem Allegedly Concealed Fund Flows in Chromebook Case

Prosecutors Allege Nadiem Concealed Financial Flows in the Chromebook Case

• Photo: Special Documentation

Jakarta, VIVA - The team of Public Prosecutors has revealed alleged conflicts of interest and practices described as mutualistic symbiosis in the alleged corruption case surrounding the procurement of Chromebooks at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek).

This was revealed during the trial of the case involving the defendant, former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, which took place on Monday, 23 February 2026. Prosecutor Roy Riady stated that the testimony of several witnesses in the trial revealed a meeting between Nadiem and senior Google executives in early 2020. One of the witnesses presented was the former Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Deswitha Arvinchi.

“Deswitha confirmed that a meeting took place in early 2020 between Mr. Nadiem and a senior Google executive named Caesar,” Roy said, as quoted on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.

During the meeting, several echelon I officials and Nadiem’s special staff at the time were also present, including Jurist Tan. According to the prosecutor, during the meeting, it was agreed to use the Chrome OS operating system for the procurement of Chromebook devices at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

Roy stated that after the meeting, Caesar Sengupta was subsequently appointed as a commissioner at PT GT. Meanwhile, Nadiem is known to be the founder and shareholder of the company.

“Here, we can see mutualistic symbiosis. Google obtained the procurement contract at the ministry, while a Google executive was placed as a commissioner in a company owned by Nadiem,” he said.

The prosecutor also revealed that during the implementation of the Chromebook procurement, several structural officials at echelon II, such as directors and the person in charge of commitment (PPK), allegedly faced pressure through the minister’s special staff.

In addition, the Public Prosecutor stated that Nadiem allegedly obtained profits from the cooperation through a company affiliated with GT.

“Firstly, the profit of Rp809,596,125,000 is the profit Nadiem received from the performance or profits of his company, in which he cooperated with Google through a corporation that he owns,” he said.

According to the prosecutor, even while serving as minister, Nadiem is said to have still maintained control over the company by appointing Andre Kelvin as the beneficial owner to control PT G.

The prosecutor also revealed the flow of shares through several affiliated companies, such as PT DKAB, PT SAB, and PT ANK.

One of the methods highlighted in the trial was the use of an investment company called Endless Art Investment, which is based in Singapore.