Nadiem's Lawyer Questions Former Jampidsus Over Appeal in Chromebook Case
Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, believes the alleged corruption case concerning the procurement of Chromebooks that has ensnared him is a form of criminalisation. He stated that the elements of a criminal act of corruption in the case have not been met, but were forced through a narrative constructed during the legal process.
Nadiem assessed that the case against him is not an isolated incident. He noted that a similar pattern has emerged in several other corruption cases that have surfaced over the past two years. “From the aspect of criminalisation, does my case meet the criteria for criminalisation? 100%. Almost none of the elements of corruption exist factually, but the basis for the decision is narrative. That is the strongest evidence of criminalisation because in the end, what is proven? There was a policy that did not cause state losses, but it was fabricated to appear as if it did, making many people victims of a case that should not have been a case from the start,” he said.
He then touched on several other cases that he believes share a similar pattern of handling, ranging from the case of Tom Lembong to the Pertamina case. “So I am very confident this is criminalisation, not just this Chromebook case. Do not forget, there have been many cases like this: the case of Mr. Tom Lembong, the Pertamina case, the case of Niko Donald Tanihab that is currently being tried, and many more that may not have gone viral yet. But this is not something that only happened to me. This is a pattern that has occurred over the last two years that has truly shocked the public in how they view our justice system,” he said.
Nadiem also questioned the basis for the alleged state losses in the case against him. According to him, to date, there has been no flow of funds that can prove the occurrence of a criminal act of corruption. “So what exactly is the corruption? It is difficult because the pattern is the same: the state loss is unclear, no one received any flow of funds, and suddenly the loss is creatively calculated, for example, my loss was only sought after I was detained. Well, those are indications of criminalisation. Once again, I salute the government, I salute the law enforcement officers who have dared to expose the disgrace of parties who carry out criminalisation, especially in the area of corruption. I respect and hope that this exposure can become an impetus to transform the entire prosecutor’s office and law enforcement apparatus in general. I am very appreciative and optimistic,” he said.