Nadiem Makarim Officially Files Appeal Against 10-Year Sentence in Chromebook Corruption Case
Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Makarim, has officially filed an appeal against his 10-year prison sentence in the Chromebook corruption case. The appeal was registered through the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday (8/7/2026).
Nadiem’s legal counsel, Zaid Mushafi, stated that the submitted appeal memorandum contains criticisms of various considerations made by the first-instance panel of judges. The legal team is requesting the High Court to re-examine the case and review the legal facts that formed the basis of the verdict.
One of the main points contested in the memorandum is the judges’ assessment regarding a power of attorney for managing Nadiem’s shares in PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (AKAB) and PT Gojek Indonesia. Zaid asserted that the power of attorney was granted specifically to avoid conflicts of interest in the procurement of goods and services.
‘The panel of judges instead assessed that the power of attorney was merely a formality to protect against a conflict of interest. In fact, trial evidence showed there was no instruction or coordination from Nadiem to the proxy holder regarding the procurement,’ Zaid stated.
Nadiem’s side also objected to the obligation to pay restitution amounting to Rp809.59 billion. Zaid claimed there was no material evidence showing that these funds flowed into his client’s personal pocket or that Nadiem intervened when the funds were channelled to the corporation.
Furthermore, the legal team highlighted the judges’ assessment regarding the appointment of officials within the Ministry of Education and Culture. According to Zaid, the selection process for officials was conducted by a selection committee in March 2020, well before the technical team for the Chromebook procurement was formed at the end of April 2020.
Nadiem was found guilty in a case of alleged corruption concerning the digitalisation of education programme, specifically the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) for the 2020-2022 fiscal years. The judges ruled that Nadiem abused his authority in a procurement process that did not comply with government procurement principles.
In the previous ruling, the restitution was imposed because Nadiem was deemed to have received funds from PT AKAB through PT Gojek Indonesia, with a significant portion of the funds originating from a Google investment worth 786.99 million US dollars. The offence was committed jointly with three other convicted individuals, Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as well as one suspect who remains at large, Jurist Tan. Nadiem was found to have violated Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.