Indonesian investigators on last Thursday named a former education minister and Co-Founder of ride-hailing firm Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, as a suspect in a corruption case about alleged improper laptop procurement and said he had been detained, Reuters reported.

An investigator at the attorney general’s office said Makarim would be detained for 20 days while the investigation proceeds.

Makarim, who was education minister between 2019 and 2024, was accused of involvement in the procurement of Google’s Chromebook laptops for use at his ministry and by students, said investigator Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo.

Makarim’s lawyer did not respond to Reuters‘ request for comment.

According to the report, Makarim was accused of misusing his authority as minister to enrich himself or a company, Nurcahyo said, in violation of Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws. Investigators estimated the case had caused losses to the state of 1.98 trillion rupiah ($121.85 million), the report added.

“For investigation purposes, (Makarim) will be detained for the next 20 days,” Nurcahyo reportedly told a press conference.

The prosecutors found that Makarim had issued a decree in 2021 containing procurement specifications that matched only the Chromebook laptop, Nurcahyo said.

Before selecting the Chromebook, Makarim met representatives of Google Indonesia six times, Nurcahyo told reporters.

In July, the attorney general’s office raided the office of Indonesia tech firm GoTo Gojek Tokopedia to search for evidence related to the case but did not provide further details.

Google did not immediately respond to Reuters‘ request for comment.

Makarim left Gojek after he was appointed minister in 2019. Gojek has merged with e-commerce startup Tokopedia in 2021 to form GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Indonesia’s largest tech company.

According to local media JakartaGlobe.id, Nadiem launched Gojek in 2010, at a time when Indonesia’s digital infrastructure was still underdeveloped for internet-reliant platforms. He managed to secure early funding from major investors such as NSI Ventures and Sequoia Capital. By 2019, Gojek had become Indonesia’s first “decacorn,” valued at $10 billion, and had expanded across Southeast Asia.

On Friday, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GoTo) issued a statement clarifying that Makarim is no longer part of the company’s management or operations, JakartaGlobe.id reported,

GoTo also stressed that Nadiem has had no formal role in the company since stepping down as President Commissioner in October 2019, shortly after joining the cabinet, the report added.

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