Jakarta. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Thursday named former Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim a suspect in a corruption case involving the procurement of school laptops worth Rp 9.3 trillion ($574 million).

The program, carried out between 2020 and 2022, was designed to distribute 1.2 million Chromebooks to schools in underdeveloped and remote regions as part of a national digitalization effort. However, prosecutors said the devices were unsuitable for the program, as they required stable internet connections -- a major challenge in areas with limited electricity and poor connectivity.

According to investigators, the mismatch resulted in Rp 1.98 trillion ($122 million) in state losses.

“After evaluating evidence and witness testimony, we have named another suspect in the case, identified by the initials NAM,” said Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo, the AGO’s director of corruption investigations, at a press conference in Jakarta.

Nadiem is the co-founder of ride-hailing company Gojek.

Prosecutors confirmed that Nadiem has been placed in detention at the AGO facility for 20 days pending further investigation. He is the fifth suspect in the case.

The other suspects already charged include:

• Ibrahim Arief, a technology consultant accused of facilitating the procurement;
• Mulyatsyah, former director for junior high schools;
• Sri Wahyuningsih, former director for elementary schools;
• Jurist Tan, a former special staff member to Nadiem.

Add as a preferred source on Google +