Indonesian court sentences Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in graft case

Jakarta (ANTARA) - An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison for corruption linked to a multi-million dollar school laptop procurement project, a judge announced.

Presiding Judge Purwanto Abdullah ruled that Nadiem, who served as education, culture, research, and technology minister from 2019 to 2024, abused his authority in the digital school digitalization program between 2019 and 2022.

The program involved the procurement of Google Chromebooks and Chrome Device Management services. The court found that Nadiem’s actions resulted in state losses totaling Rp1.56 trillion.

"We declare that the defendant, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing collective corruption as charged," Purwanto told the Central Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court.

The judges ordered Nadiem, the prominent founder of Indonesian ride-hailing tech giant Gojek, to pay a Rp1 billion fine or serve an additional 190 days in prison.

Furthermore, the court ordered him to pay Rp809.59 billion in restitution, failing which he will face an additional five years in prison.

The court established that Nadiem received this sum from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa through PT Gojek Indonesia, noting that the funds largely originated from a 786.99 million dollar investment made by Google.

Prosecutors stated the procurement of information and communication technology equipment during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years violated state planning and procurement principles.

Nadiem was convicted alongside three other education ministry officials, while another accomplice, Jurist Tan, remains at large.

The 10-year sentence was significantly lighter than the 18-year prison term and Rp5.67 trillion in restitution originally sought by state prosecutors.

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Translator: Agatha Olivia Victoria, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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