Two Judges Issue Dissenting Opinion in Verdict Hearing, Requesting Ibrahim Arief's Release

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Two of the five panel judges expressed differing opinions or dissenting opinions and requested that Ibrahim Arief, alias Ibam, be released in the case of alleged corruption in the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops.

In the verdict hearing against Ibam, the dissenting opinion was delivered by Member Judge II Eryusman and Member Judge IV Andi Saputra.

“Having considered that for this reason, Member Judge II Eryusman and Member Judge IV Andi Saputra conclude that the defendant clearly does not meet all the elements charged by the Public Prosecutor (JPU), and therefore must be acquitted of all charges,” said Andi during Ibam’s verdict hearing in the alleged corruption case of Chromebook laptop procurement, at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Tuesday (12/5/2026), quoted from the Kompas TV YouTube broadcast.

The judges also stated that Ibam had provided input to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) regarding more competitive Chromebook prices.

“This shows that the defendant’s capacity was merely that of an information technology consultant, and not a pricing consultant or financial consultant, which is common in consulting practices as long as no collusion is found between the consultant and the goods provider, and in the case at hand, it has not been proven that the defendant engaged in a criminal conspiracy or PMH with the principal, distributor, or reseller,” said Andi.

On the contrary, Ibam had even pointed out the weaknesses of Chromebooks to former Minister of Education Nadiem Makarim.

Ibam also recommended the use of Windows-based devices for school needs.

“The defendant recommended that Windows-based PCs are still needed for schools due to their flexibility and functionality,” continued the dissenting opinion of the judges.

“The defendant has not been proven to have conducted lobbying, efforts, or approaches to the budget managers of the Ministry of Education to choose Chromebooks,” said the judge.

“Having considered that from the analysis above, the defendant has no role in the events charged by the JPU, that although there is indeed a series of actions related to one another, there is no direct and strong causality between the defendant’s actions or role and the direct crime,” he added.

“Imposing a prison sentence on the defendant Ibrahim Arif alias Ibam of four years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 500 million,” said the Chief Judge of the Panel, Purwanto S Abdullah, in the trial at the Corruption Court, Central Jakarta District Court, Tuesday (12/5/2026).

Ibrahim Arief was deemed to have violated Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Offences Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 first of the old Criminal Code.