GoTo distancesโค Itself โฃFrom Former Co-Founder Amidst Corruption Inquiry
Jakarta. โคIndonesian technology conglomerate GoTo Gojek tokopedia (GoTo) issued a statement Friday asserting that Nadiem Makarim, recently named a suspect โคin a corruption case, has held no managerial or operational role within the company since october 2019. Theโข clarification comes as prosecutorsโค investigate allegations of impropriety surrounding a Rpโ 9.3 trillionโค ($574 million) Chromebook โคprocurementโฃ program during Makarim’s tenure โas Indonesia’s education minister.
The case raises questions about potential conflicts of interestโข and corporate governance within Indonesia’s burgeoning techโ sector, and underscores the government’s increasedโ scrutiny of large-scale publicโ projects. GoTo, a โฃmajor player inโ the Indonesianโ digital economy, is keen to demonstrate its commitment to clarity and distance itself from the unfolding legal proceedings. The outcome ofโฃ the investigation โฃcould impact public trust in both the government’s digitalization initiatives and the broader tech industry.
GoTo emphasized that Makarim, who co-founded ride-hailingโข platform Gojek prior to its merger with e-commerce giant Tokopedia, stepped down asโค President Commissioner shortlyโฃ after accepting his cabinet position in Octoberโข 2019. “He hasโค not been a director, commissioner, orโค employee at Gojek – โคnow known โas Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa – as October โค2019 and โคhas had no involvement in GoTo’s operations or management since,” stated Ade Mulya, GoTo’s โคDirector โof Public Affairs and Communication.
Mulya furtherโ clarified that Makarim is โฃnot a controllingโ shareholder of the company and that โGoTo’s operations haveโ remained separate from his duties as a government minister, including the contested laptop procurement project. “As a public company, GoTo is committed to โupholding good corporate governance principles with accountability and transparency โin line with Indonesian law,” โMulya added.
The investigation centers on a national digitalization โคprogram intended to provide 1.2 million Chromebooks to schools in remote and underdeveloped regions. Prosecutorsโค allege the โคprogram was flawed due to the devices’ reliance on stable internet access,which was unavailable in many of the targeted areas. Investigators estimate the resulting mismatch led to state losses of Rp 1.98 trillion ($122 million).
The allegations mark aโ significant setback โfor Makarim, who was previously celebrated as a pioneer ofโ Indonesia’s digital economy after leading Gojek to โขbecome the nation’s first “decacorn,” achieving a valuation of $10 billion in 2019.