Nadiem Makarim Denies Malicious Intent in Corruption Trial

Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, stated that no malicious intent was proven during his trial. ‘Because there never was any. This case is unique, due to the glaring imbalance of evidence,’ Nadiem said while reading his duplik (response to the prosecution’s reply) at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. He explained that all his interactions with his team were recorded in WhatsApp groups since he took office. All policy documents, audit results, and field data were recorded and undeniable. He asserted that there were stacks of message evidence, documents, and testimonies showing that good intentions accompanied the Chromebook procurement programme from start to finish. While in detention, Nadiem reread the transcripts of WhatsApp messages with his team at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Over a week of reading these five-year-old messages, he unconsciously shed tears onto the pages. ‘I cried not because my freedom was taken away, but because I was moved by the dedication and idealism of my team recorded in those thousands of pages,’ he revealed. Nadiem recounted stories of his team battling corruption, fighting for teacher welfare, and breaking stagnant learning paradigms, all contained in those messages. He realised then that honesty and truth would be hard to suppress. The world would see the reality, and that is what happened in the Chromebook case trial. Nadiem is a defendant in a 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 and Culture from 2019 to 2022. He was previously sentenced to 18 years in prison, a fine of Rp1 billion, subsidiary to 190 days imprisonment, and a replacement payment of Rp5.67 trillion, subsidiary to 9 years imprisonment. In this case, Nadiem is accused of corruption causing state losses of Rp2.18 trillion. The alleged corruption includes carrying out the procurement of information and communication technology-based learning tools in the form of Chromebook laptops and CDM for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years, which did not comply with procurement planning and principles. The founder of a technology company is accused of committing these acts together with three other defendants in separate trials: Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as well as Jurist Tan, who remains a fugitive. In detail, the state losses caused include Rp1.56 trillion related to the Ministry’s education digitalisation programme and USD 44.05 million, equivalent to Rp621.39 billion, due to the procurement of unnecessary and useless CDM. Through these actions, Nadiem is alleged to have received Rp809.59 billion originating from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) via PT Gojek Indonesia. It was stated that most of PT AKAB’s funds came from a Google investment worth USD 786.99 million. This can be seen from Nadiem’s wealth recorded in the 2022 State Officials’ Wealth Report (LHKPN), which includes the acquisition of securities worth Rp5.59 trillion. For his actions, Nadiem faces criminal charges under Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law 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 Criminal Code.