JAKARTA – Indonesia’s attorney general’s office has named former education minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim as a suspect in a high-profile corruption case tied to the procurement of Google’s Chromebook laptops, estimating state losses at Rp1.98 trillion (US$121.9 million).

Nadiem, who served as education minister from 2019 to 2024, was taken into custody on Thursday and will be held for 20 days while investigations continue, officials confirmed.

According to investigator Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo, Nadiem is accused of abusing his ministerial authority to enrich himself or a third party, in breach of Indonesia’s anti-graft laws. Prosecutors allege he issued a 2021 decree that set laptop procurement specifications tailored exclusively for Google’s Chromebook, following six meetings with Google Indonesia representatives.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case has drawn scrutiny not only for its scale but also for its potential impact on Indonesia’s credibility in managing large-scale education technology initiatives. “For investigation purposes, (Makarim) will be detained for the next 20 days,” Nurcahyo told reporters at a press conference.

The scandal has also touched Indonesia’s largest tech group, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia. In July, investigators raided the company’s Jakarta office in search of evidence but have yet to disclose findings. GoTo has not commented publicly.

Nadiem, who co-founded Gojek in 2010, stepped down from the company when he joined cabinet in 2019. Gojek later merged with Tokopedia in 2021 to create GoTo, now Indonesia’s biggest tech player by market value.

The case adds to concerns over governance risks in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, where technology and education have been key policy priorities. Analysts note that the probe could cloud investor sentiment in Indonesia’s fast-growing digital sector, which has been a magnet for global capital.