Ibrahim Arief expresses disappointment as Chromebook corruption sentence is increased
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Ibrahim Arief, alias Ibam, a former Technology Consultant at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), has expressed disappointment after his criminal sentence regarding the alleged Chromebook corruption case was increased at the appellate court level.
“Of course, we always respect the existing legal process. Essentially, I feel that the facts which were very clearly stated in the dissenting opinion were not considered,” said Ibam when met after the reading of the appeal verdict at the Jakarta High Court on Monday.
Furthermore, he added, there are other matters that, legally, make him question the ruling, including the imposition of additional punishment in the form of restitution payments.
According to him, restitution is usually imposed based on the profits received by the defendant from the criminal act. “But this suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I have been ordered to pay Rp5 billion in restitution, the origin of which is unclear,” he said.
He stated that he is unable to pay the restitution as he has been without an income for over a year. He noted that all of his savings have been used for survival, legal proceedings, and medical needs.
As a result, Ibam claims that the money in his bank account is currently only around ten-odd million rupiah. “It will be gone by next month. Even if all my assets are sold, it would not reach Rp2 billion. Therefore, it is clear that I am effectively sentenced to over 9 years if calculated proportionally plus the subsidiary sentence,” he said.
The Jakarta High Court has increased Ibam’s sentence regarding the Chromebook corruption case to 5 years in prison, up from the previous 4 years.
Nevertheless, the amount of the fine imposed on Ibam remains at Rp500 million, with the provision that if it is not paid, it will be replaced (subsidiary) by 140 days of imprisonment.
However, the Appellate Panel of Judges also increased Ibam’s punishment by imposing an additional penalty of Rp5 billion in restitution, with a subsidiary sentence of 4 years in prison.
In the case of alleged corruption in the education digitalisation programme involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 2019–2022, Ibam was found proven to have conducted the procurement of information and communication technology-based learning facilities, namely Chromebook laptops and CDM.
The procurement was deemed inconsistent with procurement planning and various procurement principles, resulting in state financial losses totalling Rp5.26 trillion in the case.
Consequently, he was found guilty of violating Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law (UU) Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st KUHP.