Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office searched the office of tech giant GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GOTO) in Jakarta as part of its investigation into alleged corruption in the procurement of Chromebook laptops by the (then) Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry.
The raid, which took place on Tuesday, focused on collecting evidence to strengthen the ongoing case, officials said. "The items seized include documents and electronic evidence in the form of flash drives," said Harli Siregar, spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office, during a press briefing on Friday.
Authorities are investigating alleged irregularities in a Chromebook procurement project worth around Rp 9.9 trillion ($610.4 million) as part of the ministry's education digitalization program during 2019-2022.
Following the raid, prosecutors have rescheduled the questioning of former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim, who co-founded Gojek before it merged with Tokopedia to form GoTo. Nadiem was initially set to appear for questioning on July 8 but requested a delay.
"A summons has been issued for Tuesday, July 15," Harli confirmed.
Nadiem was previously questioned as a witness on June 23, with investigators asking him around 31 questions related to the procurement process. Prosecutors are focusing on a meeting held in early May 2020, which reportedly influenced the decision to proceed with the Chromebook procurement despite earlier technical assessments in April 2020 indicating that Chromebooks were not the most effective option for the project.
"There are important matters to examine regarding that meeting in May 2020. We know that technical studies were conducted in April, which were later revised in June or July," Harli said.
Investigators are also scrutinizing the roles of three of Nadiem's special staff members in the decision-making process, seeking to determine how initial assessments shifted, leading to the selection of Chromebooks for the nationwide procurement.
"Who played a role in shifting the initial assessment to a review that led to the Chromebook being chosen? This is what we will continue to investigate," Harli added.
The Attorney General's Office has intensified its efforts to resolve the high-profile case amid a broader push for accountability in government procurement processes.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/ago-searches-goto-office-in-rp-99-trillion-chromebook-corruption-prob