The case represents a remarkable turnaround for the Ivy League-educated co-founder of ride-hailing app Gojek, once seen as a poster boy for Indonesia's tech startup scene.
Nadiem, 41, who became one of the country's youngest cabinet members in 2019 and served as education minister until 2024, is accused of graft tied to the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors argue that the decision to purchase Chromebooks, which use Google's operating system ChromeOS, was linked with the U.S. tech giant's investment in Gojek and had cost the state around $120 million in losses.
Nadiem, who denies any wrongdoing, claims the decision had in fact saved money. He has dismissed the charges against him as an "investigative error".
Nadiem Makarim, founder of the Indonesian ride-hailing and online payment firm Gojek, waves to journalists as he arrives at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2019. Photo by Reuters
