Chromebooks for schools without internet: Indonesian ex-minister on trial

In Indonesia, a trial has begun against the former Minister of Education, who is accused of corruption in the course of digitizing schools and procuring Chromebooks. This is reported by the news agency Reuters, according to which the indictment assumes that Nadiem Makarim enriched himself by almost 50 million US dollars. The Indonesian state even lost around 126 million US dollars in total. Before the tender, the usual prices, among other things, were allegedly not determined. The ex-minister denies the allegations. If he is found guilty on all counts, he faces 20 years in prison.

Internet supply at schools not sufficient

Makarim co-founded the ride-hailing company Gojek, which rapidly achieved enormous success in Indonesia. When he became Minister of Education in 2019, he gave up his position as CEO; he then belonged to the government for five years. During this period, a tender for the procurement of laptops for schools in the country took place. According to Reuters, the ex-politician is accused of having formulated the specifications in such a way that only Google's Chromebooks and the associated operating system could meet them. These only function properly with an internet connection, and not all schools in the country have one.

As Reuters further explains, Makarim is said to have met with Google representatives several times shortly before the expected decision for the Chromebooks. At that time, the US corporation is also said to have significantly increased its investment in the parent company of Makarim's former company Gojek. The indictment therefore puts the associated increase in wealth for the politician at around 48 million US dollars. Neither Google nor Gojek's successor company commented on the allegations, Reuters reports. In addition to Makarim, several other individuals must also answer in court.

(mho)