Jakarta. Indonesian tech giant GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GoTo) on Friday issued a statement clarifying that Nadiem Makarim, recently named a corruption suspect, is no longer part of the company’s management or operations.

Nadiem, who co-founded ride-hailing platform Gojek before its merger with e-commerce giant Tokopedia, was detained by prosecutors this week over alleged graft in a Rp 9.3 trillion ($574 million) Chromebook procurement program during his tenure as education minister from 2019 to 2024.

GoTo 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.

“He has not been a director, commissioner, or employee at Gojek -- now known as Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa -- since October 2019 and has had no involvement in GoTo’s operations or management since,” said Ade Mulya, GoTo’s Director of Public Affairs and Communication.

Ade said that Nadiem is not a controlling shareholder of the company. GoTo’s operations have never been connected to Nadiem’s duties as a government minister, including the disputed laptop procurement project now under investigation, he added.

“As a public company, GoTo is committed to upholding good corporate governance principles with accountability and transparency in line with Indonesian law,” Ade said.

The Chromebook Scandal
Prosecutors allege that the national digitalization program to provide 1.2 million Chromebooks to schools in remote and underdeveloped regions was flawed because the devices required stable internet access -- unavailable in many target areas.

Investigators estimate the mismatch resulted in state losses of Rp 1.98 trillion ($122 million).

The case represents a stunning reversal for Nadiem, once hailed as a symbol of Indonesia’s digital economy after building Gojek into the country’s first “decacorn,” valued at $10 billion in 2019.

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