The Jakarta High Court has increased the criminal sentence against\nformer Technology Consultant at the Ministry of Education, Culture,\nResearch and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), Ibrahim Arief, also known\nas Ibam, in connection with the Chromebook corruption case, raising his\nprison term from four years to five years.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Catur Irianto stated that the sentence was increased\nbecause the appellate panel considered the punishment imposed by the\nfirst-instance court to be inadequate, unjust, and not reflective of a\nbalance between the level of Ibam\u2019s wrongdoing and the objectives of\nsentencing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe appeal requests from the public prosecutor and the defendant\u2019s\nadvocate are accepted. The ruling of the Corruption Court at the Central\nJakarta District Court dated 12 May 2026, which was appealed, is amended\nwith regard to the principal sentence and the additional penalty of\nrestitution,\u201d said the presiding judge during the verdict hearing at the\nJakarta High Court on Monday.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the fine imposed on Ibam remains at Rp500 million, with\nthe provision that if it is not paid, it will be replaced by 140 days of\nimprisonment, a slight increase from the previous 120 days.<\/p>\n
However, the appellate panel also increased Ibam\u2019s punishment by\nimposing an additional penalty of restitution amounting to Rp5 billion,\nwith a substitute sentence of four years in prison.<\/p>\n
Before delivering the verdict, the panel considered several\naggravating and mitigating circumstances. The aggravating factor was\nthat Ibam\u2019s actions were deemed not to support the government\u2019s\nprogramme to eradicate corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeanwhile, the mitigating circumstances are that the defendant\nbehaved politely during the trial, has never been convicted before, and\nhas family dependents,\u201d said the presiding judge.<\/p>\n
In the alleged corruption case involving the education digitalisation\nprogramme, specifically the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome\nDevice Management (CDM) within Kemendikbudristek from 2019 to 2022, Ibam\nwas found guilty of procuring information and communication\ntechnology-based learning facilities in the form of Chromebook laptops\nand CDM.<\/p>\n
The procurement was deemed inconsistent with procurement planning and\nvarious procurement principles, resulting in state losses totalling\nRp5.26 trillion in the case.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, he was found guilty of violating Article 3 in\nconjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication\nof Corruption, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001, in\nconjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal\nCode.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chromebook-corruption-case-ibams-sentence-increased-to-5-years-in-prison-1788166339", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }