Nadiem Makarim Delivers Poignant Message to Prosecutors: 'I Am Not Just a Case File, I Am a Human Awaiting Justice'

Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, delivered an emotional defence in his duplik (response to the prosecution’s reply), asserting that he is not merely a case file but a human being with a family awaiting justice. “I am a human being with all my feelings, with a family who hold their breath every day, waiting for justice to arrive,” Nadiem stated during the hearing at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. He expressed sadness after hearing the prosecution’s reply, noting that while the prosecutors are also human beings with families, he did not find that sense of humanity in their response. Nadiem argued that the prosecution did not directly address several points he had raised in his defence plea, and that their reply resembled a conclusion predetermined to find him guilty and deny his acquittal. “I do not understand what lies behind it. What I can honestly say is that everything I have done in this trial is solely to voice the truth so that I can return home to my children,” he said. With humility, he questioned how anyone would react if accused of acts they never committed, stating that every person would fight to defend themselves and return to their family. He also expressed his surrender to God, believing that ultimately only the Almighty judges all human beings, and hoped that a dialogue based on conscience would be maintained among all parties involved in the case. Nadiem is a defendant in an alleged corruption case concerning the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) for a digitalisation programme within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 2019 and 2022. Prosecutors have demanded a prison sentence of 18 years, a fine of Rp1 billion, and a restitution payment of Rp5.67 trillion.