Yusril: Government Neutral on 10-Year Sentence for Nadiem
Depok, West Java (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, has stated that the government remains neutral regarding the 10-year prison sentence imposed on the defendant, Nadiem Anwar Makarim.
Yusril stated that there has been no direction from the government towards the court and expressed that the case should be adjudicated with the utmost fairness. “If it is proven, then let him be punished; if it is not proven, then let him be acquitted,” Yusril said when met in Depok, West Java, on Thursday.
As the verdict was delivered by a first-instance court, Yusril noted that Nadiem still has the opportunity to decide whether to file an appeal. He urged all parties to await the legal process, reiterating that the government leaves it to the court to thoroughly examine the case and decide fairly.
Regarding the fact that one judge expressed a dissenting opinion and requested Nadiem’s acquittal, Yusril stated that such occurrences are common in court rulings, as the panel presiding over Nadiem’s case consisted of five judges. He noted that in the Supreme Court, it is also common for a single judge to hold a differing opinion among a panel of three judges presiding over cassation cases.
“This is normal in our courts, and whatever the court decides—even if there are those who like or dislike it, or pros and cons—it is a court ruling that we must respect,” he remarked.
In addition to the prison term, the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019–2024 period was also ordered to pay a fine of Rp1 billion, with a subsidiary sentence of 190 days in prison, and restitution amounting to Rp809.59 billion, with a subsidiary sentence of 5 years in prison.
The restitution was imposed on Nadiem after it was proven that he received funds totaling Rp809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) via PT Gojek Indonesia. It was noted that a large portion of PT AKAB’s funds originated from a Google investment worth 786.99 million US dollars.
In this case, Nadiem was found guilty of abusing his authority, resulting in state financial losses of Rp1.56 trillion. The corruption allegedly involved the procurement of information and communication technology-based learning tools, specifically Chromebook laptops and CDM, for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years, which did not comply with procurement planning and principles.
The actions of the technology company founder were found to have been carried out alongside three other defendants who have been sentenced in separate trials—namely Ibrahim Arief (alias Ibam), Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih—as well as Jurist Tan, who remains a fugitive.
Consequently, the former Minister was found to have violated criminal provisions stipulated in Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001, in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st KUHP (Criminal Code).