Nadiem Says 15-Year Demand for Ibrahim Arif Is Unreasonable
The continuation of the trial in the alleged corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebooks has brought new developments. Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek), Nadiem Makarim, gave an emotional reaction after hearing the demands against the defendant Ibrahim Arif, alias Ibam.
In the proceedings at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, Nadiem expressed astonishment and sadness over the 15-year prison demand and the obligation to pay Rp16 billion in restitution imposed by the prosecutors on Ibam. If unable to pay, the total potential sentence faced could reach 22 years in prison.
According to Nadiem, Ibam is a young professional with a strong track record in the technology industry, who even rejected offers from global companies to serve domestically.
“Even witnesses from (former) Google executives who were present in the Ministry in 2020 stated that our team, including Ibam, always challenged them, and Google was pessimistic that Chrome OS would be selected. So I am very confused how someone who sacrificed a salary 2-3 times higher, rejected a job at Facebook in the UK, sacrificed himself to serve the country, could face demands and potential maximum punishment,” Nadiem said during a break in the trial.
Not only that, Nadiem also delivered a message to young professionals regarding the ongoing case.
“I want to speak to young professionals: please pay attention to this case. If we ignore it, anyone could experience something similar. Ibam is one of us. He is a father, husband, and professional who is fighting,” he said.
In the previous hearing on Monday, 20 April 2026, several witnesses from former Google executives were also presented. One of them was Caesar Sengupta, who provided important testimony regarding the Chromebook procurement project.
From that testimony, it was revealed that there was no secret agreement between the ministry and Google regarding the use of Chromebooks. In fact, it was mentioned that Google was initially pessimistic that the Chrome OS operating system would be chosen.
Additionally, Google’s investment in Gojek was affirmed as a pure business decision, not as a quid pro quo for the technology device procurement project in the ministry.