{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1735136,
        "msgid": "two-dissenting-judges-call-for-ibrahim-ariefs-acquittal-1778608545",
        "date": "2026-05-12 21:45:43",
        "title": "Two dissenting judges call for Ibrahim Arief's acquittal",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "In the corruption trial over the Chromebook procurement scandal at Indonesia's Ministry of Education, two out of five judges issued dissenting opinions advocating for the acquittal of technology consultant Ibrahim Arief, arguing that he did not meet any elements of the prosecutor's charges and acted neutrally without direct causation to the crime. They highlighted that Ibam's general recommendations were distorted by ministry officials, and his income, including from Bukalapak shares, was legitimate and unrelated to the case. Despite this, the majority sentenced him to four years in prison and a fine, finding him guilty of causing Rp5.26 trillion in state losses through improper procurement practices.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta (ANTARA) - Two out of the five judges who heard the alleged\ncorruption case involving Chromebooks issued dissenting opinions calling\nfor the acquittal of Ibrahim Arief, alias Ibam, a technology consultant\nat the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology\n(Kemendikbudristek), from the case. The two judges in question, member\njudge II Eryusman and member judge IV Andi Saputra, concluded that Ibam\nclearly did not fulfil all the elements charged by the public\nprosecutor. \u201cAlthough there is indeed a series of related actions\nbetween one and another, there is no direct and strong causality between\nthe defendant\u2019s actions or role and the direct crime,\u201d stated Judge Andi\nduring the verdict reading at the Corruption Court at the Central\nJakarta District Court on Tuesday. Judge Andi noted that in the case,\nIbam only provided general input and did not direct towards a specific\nbrand, but his input was \u201ctwisted\u201d by the technical team from\nKemendikbudristek. Consequently, there are significant differences\nbetween the specifications suggested by Ibam and those in the review\ndocument and Ministry of Education Regulation Number 5 of 2021.\nFurthermore, Judge Andi opined that Ibam had provided input on the\nweaknesses of Chromebooks to the Minister of Education, Culture,\nResearch, and Technology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim,\non 21 February 2020. Judge Andi conveyed that Ibam also continued to\nprovide input to re-evaluate the Chromebook prices by suggesting that\nthe ministry conduct a Request for Information (RFI) to distributors to\nvalidate prices for competitiveness. \u201cThis shows the defendant\u2019s\ncapacity as an information technology consultant and not a price or\nfinancial consultant,\u201d said Judge Andi. On the other hand, Judge Andi\nassessed that Ibam did not receive remuneration from the principal to\ndirect his analysis or study towards a specific brand. It was added that\nwitnesses from the principal\u2019s side in the trial also stated that they\nnever met Ibam during the Chromebook laptop procurement process.\nConsequently, Judge Andi opined that the Rp163 million income received\nby Ibam was legitimate earnings for his services as a consultant at\nKemendikbudristek. Meanwhile, regarding the increase in Ibam\u2019s assets by\nRp16.92 billion, Judge Andi continued, this resulted from the sale of\nBukalapak shares obtained by Ibam while still working at Bukalapak and\nis not bound or affiliated with the tried case. \u201cWe conclude that the\ndefendant, as a consultant, provided neutral advice to the ministry,\nwhere the authority to select the presented consultation options lies\nwith the ministry,\u201d stated Judge Andi. In the alleged corruption case of\nthe education digitalisation programme involving the procurement of\nChromebook laptops and CDM within Kemendikbudristek from 2019 to 2022,\nIbam was sentenced to four years\u2019 imprisonment and a fine of Rp500\nmillion, subsidiary 120 days\u2019 imprisonment. Ibam was among those proven\nto have procured information and communication technology-based learning\nfacilities in the form of Chromebook laptops and CDM that did not comply\nwith the procurement planning and various procurement principles, thus\ncausing a total state financial loss of Rp5.26 trillion. Thus, he was\nproven guilty of violating Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of\nLaw Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption\nas amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55\nparagraph (1) first of the Criminal Code.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-dissenting-judges-call-for-ibrahim-ariefs-acquittal-1778608545",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}