Nadiem Makarim saddened by 'white-collar criminal' narrative in corruption trial
Jakarta - The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, admitted to feeling saddened by the new narrative being spread against him, labelling him a ‘white-collar criminal’.
This narrative was presented by the Public Prosecutor of the Attorney General’s Office in a previous indictment, alleging that Nadiem utilised bureaucratic loopholes and his position for personal gain. “I am accused of being too clever for corruption that is visible on the surface,” Nadiem stated while reading his defence plea at the Corruption Court of the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.
He argued that if he were indeed committing corruption, the concealment would have to be so masterful that neither he nor the prosecutors could understand the modus operandi. Consequently, he claimed that because the prosecutors have failed to provide evidence, they are left only with narratives of suspicion.
Nadiability noted that after five months of trial, there has been no evidence that he received any benefits, whether in cash or shares, related to the procurement of Chromebooks. “There are no reports from the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) indicating that I received even a single cent or share from the ministry, laptop vendors, CDM resellers, Google, PT Gojek Indonesia, or GoTo. There is none,” he said.
He also expressed confusion as to why, if he had planned massive corruption since the start of his term as alleged, he would have invited the Attorney General’s Office to oversee the Chromebook procurement process from beginning to end. Furthermore, he stated he was not present during the procurement sessions when the Commitment Making Officer (PPK) transacted via the government’s e-catalogue, whereas the Prosecutor’s Office was in attendance.
Nadiem questioned why, if there was an intent to manipulate procurement, he requested the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) to audit the Chromebook procurement twice during his tenure. He also argued that if there were intentions to manipulate, the Ministry would not have used the LKPP e-catalogue, where the ministry cannot influence vendor selection or listed prices. “What kind of corruptor would invite three external institutions to inspect the results of their corruption?” he remarked.
Nadiem is one of the defendants in a corruption case involving the education digitalisation programme, specifically the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 201 19 and 2022. Previously, he faced a prison sentence demand of 18 years, a fine of Rp1 billion, and restitution of Rp5.67 trillion.
In this case, Nadiem is accused of corruption causing state losses of Rp2.18 trillion. The corruption allegedly involved the procurement of ICT-based learning tools for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years, which did not comply with procurement planning and principles. The founder of a technology company is also accused of acting in concert with three other defendants, including Ibrahim Arief (alias Ibam), Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as well as Jurist Tan, who remains a fugitive.
Detailed state losses include Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitalisation programme, as well as 44.05 million US dollars (approximately Rp621.39 billion) due to the procurement of unnecessary and non-beneficial CDM. Nadiem is alleged to have received Rp809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) via PT Gojek Indonesia, with much of PT AKAB’s funding reportedly sourced from a 786.99 million USD investment from Google. This is reflected in Nadiem’s 2022 wealth report (LHKPN), which showed securities valued at Rp5.59 trillion.