Attorney General's Office Investigates Corruption Mode in Procurement of Chromebook Laptops at Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Investigators from the Attorney General's Office are intensively examining witnesses in the case of alleged corruption in the procurement program for Chromebook laptops at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the years 2020-2022. Currently, investigators are focusing on uncovering the modus operandi of the discrepancies between the plans and the purchase volumes in the program.

The Head of the Legal Information Center of the Attorney General's Office, Harli Siregar, in Jakarta, Friday (30/5/2025), stated that to date, investigators have examined 28 witnesses. The witnesses examined include two former special staff members of the Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, namely FH and JT.

According to Harli, the witnesses were asked for information regarding the policy process of the Education Digitalization Program initiated by Kemdikbudrstek and the implementation of the Chromebook laptop procurement project, which has a budget of approximately Rp 9.9 trillion. The investigators are currently exploring the methods of embezzlement or abuse that have led to corruption in this program.

The witnesses examined included two former special staff of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim.

One of the substantive aspects of the investigation that was explored is related to procurement, where investigators examined the conformity of the volume of goods purchased compared to the planning. In connection with this, investigators also looked into allegations of price inflation concerning the purchased Chromebook laptops.

"For investigators, the most important aspect is related to the case itself. What the structure of the case is like, what the modus operandi is, what the motive is, that is what needs to be thoroughly examined in this matter. All of this will be explored during the investigation process," explained Harli.

In this case, from the beginning, investigators from the Attorney General's Office found indications of a conspiracy by directing a newly formed technical team to prioritize laptops with the Chromebook operating system in the Technical Study for the Procurement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment. Consequently, when the procurement of goods and services was carried out, the selected item would be laptops with the Chromebook operating system, even though this was not based on actual needs.

Harli also agreed when confirmed regarding the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) study regarding the potential for corruption in the Chromebook laptop procurement project. ICW stated that there were three potentials for corruption, namely spending on devices exceeding needs or inflating the number of devices, the potential for extortion between the education office and the schools receiving the goods, and the potential for kickbacks or fees from the goods provider to the committee or related officials.

According to Harli, in more detail, the investigators will examine the use of the budget amounting to Rp 9.9 trillion. One aspect is the use of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for the procurement of Chromebook laptops, the funding of which is channeled from the central government to the regional government.

"Because of the nature of procurement, of course these things are part of the procurement methods," he said.

Regarding the parties that will be asked for information, such as vendors or suppliers, according to Harli, all relevant parties will be summoned and examined by the investigators. As for the examination of former Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim, it will depend on the needs of the investigators.

Separately, ICW researcher Dewi Anggraeni opined that among the three potential corruption issues mapped by ICW in the Chromebook procurement program, the most likely to occur is spending that exceeds needs. This is because, in the assessment of laptop needs, there is a possibility of inflating the number of information and communication technology (ICT) devices required, resulting in expenditures that surpass the actual needs of the schools.

"Because there is no accurate data on needs, the figures for purchasing digitalization needs in ICT can be exaggerated for personal gain," said Dewi.

To make it clearer, Dewi continued, her party hopes that investigators will look into the procurement plan made by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and the real needs.

To clarify the matter further, Dewi added that her party hopes the investigators will delve into the procurement plans made by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology and the real needs on the ground. This is because there may be schools that already possess ICT equipment and therefore do not require additional Chromebook laptops.

For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, not all schools in Jakarta were included in the list of recipients of ICT because they already possessed it. Investigators are expected to examine whether the schools that already have ICT equipment are still counted or included in the procurement plan or not.

"To that end, investigators can delve into documents regarding procurement plans, a list of schools receiving ICT, and the actual needs on the ground," explained Dewi.

According to a report by ICW, shared in September 2021, it was stated that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology requires adequate supporting facilities and infrastructure, such as internet access and technological devices, in initiating the education digitization program. The program is planned to cost Rp 17.42 trillion by 2024.

In 2021, the government allocated Rp 3.7 trillion for the procurement of ICT equipment. This budget was sourced from the Ministry of Education and Culture's budget amounting to Rp 1.3 trillion (35 percent) and the remaining Rp 2.4 trillion (65 percent) from the special allocation fund (DAK) for physical education. Additionally, there is Rp 1.4 trillion in the education budget within the regional incentive fund (DID) that is also designated to support the digitalization of education.

Based on that study, ICW subsequently recommended that the government reassess the program so that it does not merely become a procurement project that has little impact on the advancement of educational services. The government is expected to pay more attention to and allocate budget for more priority programs, such as the repair of damaged/unfit school infrastructure, limited classroom space, insufficient number of public school desks, high dropout rates, and needs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the need for internet quotas.