Judges' Considerations in Sentencing Nadiem Makarim to 10 Years for Chromebook Corruption

The panel of judges at the Jakarta Central Corruption Court detailed the aggravating and mitigating factors behind the 10-year prison sentence handed down to former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, in the Chromebook and Chrome Device Management procurement corruption case. Presiding Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah stated that the crime was carried out in a planned, structured, and systematic manner, resulting in substantial state financial losses. “The act was committed in a planned, structured, and systematic way, causing very large state financial losses and having a broad impact on the provision of education, especially for children in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost regions,” Purwanto said during the verdict reading at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday. The panel also assessed that Nadiem’s actions contradicted the government’s and society’s commitment to eradicating corruption. As a minister, he was expected to set an example rather than abuse his authority. His very affluent economic condition was another aggravating factor, as there was no economic necessity driving the criminal act. In mitigation, the judges noted that Nadiem had no prior criminal record, behaved politely and cooperatively throughout the trial, and was previously known as a figure who contributed to educational and technological innovation. Based on these considerations, the panel sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rp1 billion, subsidiary to 190 days of confinement, and a restitution payment of Rp809 billion. If the restitution is not paid, he will serve an additional five years in prison. Prosecutors had originally sought an 18-year prison sentence, a Rp1 billion fine, and Rp5.68 trillion in restitution.