Ibam, Consultant on Chromebook Project, Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court (Tipikor) of the Central Jakarta District Court has imposed a sentence of four years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp500 million, subsidiary 120 days’ imprisonment, on Ibrahim Arief or Ibam. This decision was marked by a difference of opinion or Dissenting Opinion (DO) from two member judges.

Based on the legal facts revealed during the trial, the judges stated that Ibam, as a consultant at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, was proven guilty of causing losses to state finances in the corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops for the 2020-2022 fiscal year.

“The defendant Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam is hereby sentenced to imprisonment for 4 years,” said the chief judge Purwanto S Abdullah when reading out the verdict at the Jakarta Tipikor Court on Tuesday (12/5).

In its decision, the judges firmly stated that Ibam must serve his sentence in a State Detention Centre (Rutan), no longer as city detention.

Ibam was indeed found not proven to have enriched himself as per Article 603 of the Criminal Code (KUHP).

However, referring to Article 3 of the Law on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption (UU Tipikor), there is a provision for punishment for unlawful acts that enrich others or corporations.

Based on the trial facts, the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) was proven to benefit many parties, including individuals and corporations.

In its considerations, the judges understood the Supreme Court (MA) jurisprudence which states that a consultant cannot be held legally accountable as long as they provide objective input.

Through evidence presented in the trial, Ibam was said to have known and noted on 21 February 2020 three weaknesses of Chromebooks, such as limitations in internet connectivity and limitations regarding applications owned by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

However, in subsequent meetings, the judges continued, Ibam still presented by only highlighting the advantages of Chromebooks and directing the procurement towards that alone.

“The defendant’s actions have exceeded the corridor of providing objective input,” said member judge Sunoto.

The judges said that on 23 January 2020, Ibam had actually already known that Chromebooks were not the right choice for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for primary and secondary education.

Through witness testimonies and forensic results from one of the mobile phones, the judges stated that Ibam was known to be part of a WhatsApp group that included Nadiem and his special staff.

From this, the judges stated that Ibam was not a neutral external consultant, but rather an organic technical leader within the power network recruited by former Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Anwar Makarim to represent his interests.

As a technical leader, Ibam received a salary of Rp163 million per month.

“The defendant held a strategic position with direct access to the Minister of Education and Culture and the minister’s special staff,” the judges revealed.

The judges also mentioned the defendant’s admission that the selling price of Chromebooks was around Rp2 million. However, in the procurement at the centre of the issue, the judges stated there was an inflation of the price to Rp4 million per Chromebook unit.

Thus, the judges concluded that the state financial losses in this case were far greater than the audit calculation results from the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) used as a reference by the Attorney General’s Office.

This case was decided by chief judge Purwanto S. Abdullah with member judges Sunoto, Eryusman, Mardiantos, and Andi Saputra.

Member judges Eryusman and Andi Saputra held differing opinions. Both viewed that Ibam should not have been found guilty because the elements of the offence charged by the prosecutors were not fulfilled.

The difference of opinion, among others, highlighted Ibam’s background of having no connection with other witnesses in the Ministry of Education and Culture before the time of the criminal act or tempus delicti occurred.

Ibam was also said not to have been proven to have made approaches or lobbied internal parties in the Ministry of Education and Culture who were authorised regarding budget planning.

The Chromebook price submitted by Ibam, said Andi, only referred to sales on marketplaces and was in the nature of a recommendation.

The judges’ verdict has not yet gained permanent legal force or become final because the parties have a maximum of 7 working days to submit their stance.

This sentence is lighter than the demand of the Public Prosecutors (JPU) of the Attorney General’s Office.

Previously, specifically at the trial on Thursday, 16 April 2026, Ibam was demanded a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp1 billion, subsidiary 190 days’ detention.

The prosecutors also demanded that the panel of judges impose an additional sentence on Ibam in the form of an obligation to pay replacement money amounting to Rp16.92 billion, subsidiary 7 years and 6 months’ imprisonment.

Based on the trial facts, the prosecutors believed Ibam was guilty of violating Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20 of the KUHP in conjunction with Article 18 of the Law on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption (UU Tipikor).

In undergoing this legal process, Ibam was not detained in Rutan. He was designated as city detention because he has a history of chronic heart disease. Nevertheless, an electronic device (detector) has been fitted to him for monitoring.

According to the prosecutors, the alleged corruption case in the procurement of Chromebooks and Chrome Device Management (CDM) at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is suspected to have caused state financial losses of Rp2.18 trillion.

In detail, the state financial losses include Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitalisation programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, as well as US$44.05 million or equivalent to Rp621.39 billion due to the unnecessary and unbeneficial procurement of CDM.

The criminal act is suspected to involve other parties, including Nadiem Anwar Makarim, Mulyatsyah, Sri