Google testimony challenges key claim in Indonesian corruption trial
[April 21, 2026] By
NINIEK KARMINI
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Google’s investment in Indonesia's
ride-hailing company GoTo wasn’t in anyway connected to the country’s
Education Ministry’s decision to procure Chromebooks for schools during
COVID-19 pandemic, former Google executives testified in court on
Monday.
The testimony undercut a central allegation by prosecutors in the
closely watched corruption trial of Nadiem Anwar Makarim, the co-founder
of Gojek and the education minister at the time of the procurement. It
took place during the transition to remote learning in schools when
classrooms were forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Makarim, 41, was arrested in September following an investigation into
the procurement of Chromebook laptops that prosecutors say caused $125
million in state losses.
Scott Beaumont, former president of Google Asia Pacific in 2019-2014,
Caesar Sengupta, former general manager and vice president in 2018-2021,
and William Florence, a former executive, testified at Jakarta’s
Corruption Court on Monday via Zoom.
The case centers on the allegation that Makarim “enriched himself” in
connection with the Chromebooks procurement in 2020-2021, according to
the indictment. Prosecutors said he pressed Google to invest in PT
Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa, known as PT AKAB, the parent company of
Gojek.
Makarim, who was education minister in 2019-2024, allegedly favored
Google’s Chromebook despite a ministry research team refusing to
recommend the laptop model due to ineffectiveness in regions lacking
internet access.
The purchase of more than 1.2 million Chromebooks was designed to
strengthen Google’s dominance in Indonesia’s educational sector. The
program was linked to Google's investments of about $787 million in PT
AKAB through Google Asia Pacific, lead prosecutor Muhammad Fadli
Paramajeng said.
Makarim received about 809 billion rupiah ($48.2 million) in connection
with the program, prosecutors alleged.
Beaumont denied the allegation. “There was no connection at all between
Google's investment in GoTo and any of the conversations with the
Ministry of Education,” he told the panel of three judges. Makarim's
Gojek merged with the country’s biggest e-commerce firm Tokopedia to
form the GoTo Group in 2021.
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Nadiem Anwar Makarim, former Education Minister and the co-founder
of Indonesia's payments platform and ride hailing company Gojek,
center, who is accused of corruption in a government project to
procure school laptops, is flanked by his parents Nono Anwar Makarim,
left, and Atika Algadrie before the start of his trial hearing at
the Corruption Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, April 20, 2026.
(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
 Sengupta also denied the charges.
Google has previously stated that Chromebooks are designed for the
realities of the classroom, including those in remote areas. While
optimized for the cloud, they are offline-capable even without
connectivity. It also said that Google licenses software and does
not dictate Chromebooks’ pricing.
Makarim, a Harvard University graduate, co-founded Gojek in 2009,
and remained until 2019, when the company was valued at over $10
billion. He stepped down to join the cabinet of former Indonesia
President Joko Widodo.
Prosecutors allege his resignation from PT AKAB and Gojek was a
“strategic concealment” to mask conflicts of interest while Makarim
appointed close associates as directors and “beneficial owners,”
allowing him to maintain indirect control over company decisions.
He faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty.
Makarim has previously denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not
personally receive funds from Chromebook procurement or related
services. His defense argued that he divested from PT AKAB upon
taking office, his wealth fell by more than 50% during his term and
procurement decisions were made by technical teams and officials,
not the minister.
The verdict could come as soon as this month. Two former Education
Ministry officials and a former tech consultant also were charged in
the case, while another staff member remains at large.
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