Nadiem Makarim Appeals 10-Year Sentence in Chromebook Corruption Case

Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, has stated he will appeal after being sentenced to 10 years in prison in a corruption case concerning the procurement of Chromebook laptops within his ministry. Nadiem said the appeal is a fight for justice, and he will continue to champion what he believes is right while encouraging young people, professionals, and the public who feel criminalised. ‘I will not stop. Please pray, please support, please lend your voice, and please lend your courage,’ he told journalists after the verdict hearing at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. Nadiem revealed that over the past year, he and his team have tried to prove that all processes and decisions made during his tenure as minister were carried out honestly and transparently. However, he believes these efforts have not yielded results as the panel of judges still found him guilty. In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, he faces an additional penalty because he claims he cannot pay the restitution of IDR 809.59 billion. ‘They know that. From my wealth report at the end of my term, I do not have that amount of money in any form. That means I am sentenced to 15 years,’ he said. Nadiem also denied ever receiving the IDR 809.59 billion as stated in the ruling, asserting the money never entered his personal account. He said this was supported by documents and witness testimony showing the funds never left the account of PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) or GoTo. He stated that the funds were assets belonging to PT AKAB and were unrelated to Google or the Chromebook procurement case. ‘Just imagine, but I am burdened with paying that back,’ Nadiem said. In the corruption case concerning the education digitalisation programme through the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management for the 2019–2022 period, the panel of judges sentenced Nadiem to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption. In addition to the prison sentence, the judges imposed a fine of IDR 1 billion, with a subsidiary of 190 days of confinement. Nadiem is also required to pay restitution of IDR 809.59 billion, which if unpaid will be replaced by an additional five years in prison. The panel stated the restitution relates to funds of IDR 809.59 billion allegedly received from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia. The ruling also mentioned that most of PT AKAB’s funds came from a Google investment worth US$786.99 million. The court found that Nadiem’s abuse of authority resulted in state financial losses of IDR 1.56 trillion. The corruption case relates to the procurement of IT-based learning devices, specifically Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management, for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years. The procurement was deemed not in accordance with planning or government procurement principles. The court found the actions were carried out together with three other defendants who had already been sentenced: Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, while another, Jurist Tan, remains a fugitive. Nadiem was found guilty of violating Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001, in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.