Google has directly challenged the central premise of Indonesia’s corruption trial against former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim. By denying a "quid pro quo" and distancing its investments from government contracts, the tech giant has exposed the vacuum at the heart of the prosecution's case.
In Indonesia’s political landscape, the transition from tech visionary to state prisoner can happen with startling speed.
Nadiem Makarim was supposed to be the exception. A Harvard-educated entrepreneur, he founded Gojek – the ubiquitous ride-hailing and delivery "super-app" that transformed daily life in Indonesia. In 2019, he stepped down as CEO of his multi-billion dollar company to serve as the nation's Education Minister, becoming the face of a new, digital-first government. Today, he is the primary defendant in a $125 million corruption trial that looks increasingly like a political vendetta.
The case centers on a "quid pro quo" that prosecutors are struggling to anchor in reality. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) alleges that Nadiem rigged government contracts to buy 1.2 million Google Chromebooks for schools in exchange for Google pumping $60 million into Gojek.
This week, however, Google broke its long-standing silence to call out the absurdity of the state’s case.
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