Reasons Prosecutors Demand 18 Years in Prison for Nadiem Makarim and Restitution Fine of Rp 5.67 Trillion
Jakarta, VIVA – The Public Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office have demanded that the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek) for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Makarim, receive a 18-year prison sentence in connection with the alleged Chromebook corruption case.
“The defendant is demanded to be legally and convincingly declared guilty of committing the criminal act of corruption jointly, as per the primary indictment of the public prosecutor,” stated Public Prosecutor (JPU) from the Attorney General’s Office, Roy Riady, during the reading of the indictment letter at the Corruption Court in the Central Jakarta District Court (PN Jakpus) on Wednesday.
In addition to the prison sentence, he is also demanded to be imposed a fine of Rp1 billion, with the provision that if not paid, it shall be replaced (subsidiary) with imprisonment for 190 days.
Not only the prison sentence and fine, Nadiem is also demanded to be subjected to additional punishment in the form of payment of restitution amounting to Rp 809.59 billion and Rp 4.87 trillion, or combined approximately Rp 5.6 trillion, subsidiary 9 years imprisonment.
Thus, Nadiem is believed to be guilty of violating Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the National Criminal Code jo. Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001.
The JPU considers Nadiem’s actions, which do not support the government’s programme in organising a clean and free state from corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN), as an aggravating factor before submitting the demand.
Other aggravating considerations in the demand against Nadiem include that the act was committed in the education sector, which is a strategic sector for national development, resulting in the obstruction of equitable education quality for children in Indonesia.
Furthermore, Nadiem’s actions jointly with other defendants, namely Ibrahim Arief, Sri Wahyuningsih, and Mulyatsyah, as well as Jurist Tan (fugitive), have caused substantial state financial losses, and they have provided convoluted testimonies in court, which are also considered as aggravating conditions for the demand.
Another aggravating factor is that Nadiem, in the implementation of the 2020-2022 TIK Chromebook procurement, with the aim of obtaining personal gain, has neglected the quality of early childhood education, basic education, and secondary education in Indonesia, thus the defendant’s wealth has increased disproportionately to legitimate income or is suspected to be the result of the criminal act of corruption.