Harli Siregar, head of the AGO’s legal information center, said on Friday that the case relates to the Ministry of Education’s Chromebook procurement between 2019 and 2022.
He explained that in 2020, several parties allegedly reached an agreement to proceed with the procurement. A technical team was instructed to conduct a study and prepare a plan to supply Chromebooks for use in the national digital learning program.
However, an earlier test conducted by the ministry’s IT and Data Center in 2019 on approximately 1,000 Chromebooks found them to be ineffective.
According to Siregar, technicians had recommended laptops running the Windows operating system instead. Despite this, the ministry opted to move forward with Chromebooks and commissioned a new study to support the decision.
The total procurement cost was estimated at Rp9.98 trillion (approximately US$616 million), funded in part by education unit budgets and special allocation funds.
On June 23, Makarim appeared at the AGO for questioning as a witness. After a 12-hour session, he told reporters that he was complying with legal procedures as a responsible citizen.
“I am here at the AGO as a citizen who believes that fair and transparent law enforcement is a vital pillar of democracy and good governance,” he stated.
Related news: Pertamina graft: AGO plans to assess state losses with BPK
Related news: AGO names ex-trade minister suspect in sugar import graft case
Translator: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Anton Santoso
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
