Arya News - The Corruption Eradication Commission is investigating alleged graft in the then-education, culture, research and technology ministry’s procurement of Google Cloud services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAKARTA – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating alleged graft in the then-education, culture, research and technology ministry’s procurement of the Google Cloud service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The probe has placed the ministry of former minister Nadiem Makarim’s era under renewed scrutiny following another ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).
Google Cloud, a suite of cloud-based services primarily used for data storage, played a central role in Indonesia’s pivot to remote learning as schools across the country were forced to shut down physical classrooms during the health crisis.
At the helm of this transition was Nadiem, a Harvard-graduate and former tech entrepreneur, who, as education minister from 2019 to 2024, championed the rapid adoption of digital education tools.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo confirmed on Sunday that KPK investigators have begun probing the ministry’s procurement of Google Cloud services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[The probe] is still in the early investigation stage. We can’t convey any more details yet,” Budi told The Jakarta Post.
News that the KPK is probing alleged corruption in the procurement of Google Cloud services first came last Friday via the commission’s director for investigation Guntur Rahayu.
“[We are investigating procurement of] the hardware [Chromebook laptops], [the subscription for Google Cloud] data storage, as well as the internet credit [to run the system],” he said, as quoted by Antara.
Read also: AGO may close in on former minister in laptop graft case as more suspects named
Although the AGO is also investigating alleged graft in the Rp 9.3 trillion (US$57 million) procurement of 1.2 million Google Chromebook laptops during Nadiem’s tenure, KPK spokesperson Budi emphasized that the antigraft body is conducting its own, separate investigation.
“If there is any overlap, coordination will be carried out [between the KPK and the AGO] to ensure both legal processes can proceed effectively. However, so far, we see [the investigations] as two separate [processes],” Budi added.
While it remains unclear if and when the KPK will escalate its probe, the AGO’s investigation, meanwhile, has already named four suspects in a case thought to cost the state close to Rp 2 trillion in losses.
The suspects are Sri Wahyuningsih and Mulyatsyah, two former directors serving during Nadiem’s tenure at the education ministry, as well as Nadiem’s former special staffer Jurist Tan and ex-technology consultant Ibrahim Arief.
Investigators suspected both Sri and Mulyatsyah of drafting procurement guidelines for the 2021-2022 budget year that prioritized the use of the Google-based laptop. Meanwhile, Ibrahim and Jurist had allegedly discussed the Chromebook procurement with Nadiem even before he was sworn into office in October 2019.
The AGO has detained Sri and Mulyatsyah, but placed Ibrahim under city arrest due to his health condition. Meanwhile, Jurist remains at large.
Nadiem has been questioned as a witness twice by AGO investigators, most recently on July 15. He has not been named a suspect.
When contacted by the Post for comment, Nadiem’s lawyer Hana Pertiwi said the legal team “has no response at this time” to the KPK opening an investigation into the education ministry’s procurement of Google Cloud.
Read also: RI-US trade deal possible threat to data sovereignty
Scrutiny over the procurement of Google products and services comes amid growing concerns over Indonesians’ data privacy, following a new trade agreement between Jakarta and Washington that includes provisions on personal data transfers.
Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto said last week the deal involves establishing a secure protocol for managing cross-border data flows with the United States, and that 12 American tech companies, including Google Cloud, have already complied with national regulations by building data centers in the country.
However, digital advocacy groups have warned that the agreement could undermine domestic data rights and privacy, as well as weaken Indonesia’s control over its digital infrastructure.
Google Indonesia was not immediately available for comment when contacted by the Post .