Why Prosecutors are Seeking 18 Years in Prison and Trillions in Restitution for Nadiem
JAKARTA — An analysis of the prosecution’s demand for an 18-year prison sentence and trillions of rupiah in restitution for the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim. Nadiem is facing charges regarding alleged corruption in the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops during the 2020-2022 period. The Public Prosecutor (JPU) maintains that Nadiem is proven to have committed acts of corruption within the Chromebook procurement project.
During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday (13/05/2026), Prosecutor Roy Riady requested that the panel of judges impose an 18-year prison sentence on Nadiem. “(Requesting the panel of judges) to impose a prison sentence of 18 years upon the Defendant Nadiem Anwar Makarim, reduced by the time the Defendant has spent in detention, with an order for the Defendant to be immediately held in a State Detention Centre,” the prosecutor stated during the reading of the indictment at the Jakarta Corruption Court.
In addition to the prison term, prosecutors are also seeking a fine of Rp1 billion. “Imposing a fine of Rp1 billion against the Defendant Nadiem Anwar Makarim, which must be paid within one month after the court decision becomes legally binding,” the prosecutor added. If the fine is not paid, it will be replaced by 190 days of imprisonment.
Furthermore, the prosecution is seeking additional penalties in the form of restitution amounting to Rp809.596 billion and Rp4.871 trillion, totalling Rp5.680 trillion. “(The restitution) represents the defendant’s wealth that is disproportionate to his legitimate income or is suspected to stem from corrupt practices,” the prosecutor said.
In the indictment, prosecutors believe Nadiem violated Article 603 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Law, in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 regarding the Criminal Code (KUHP). The prosecution assesses that the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops was carried out for personal gain and has impacted the quality of education in Indonesia. “The defendant’s actions in committing corruption within the education sector—a strategic sector for national development—have resulted in the hindered quality of educational equality for children in Indonesia,” the prosecutor stated. In this case, prosecutors also noted that the state has suffered losses amounting to Rp1.56 trillion.