Govt neutral on Nadiem Makarim's 10-year prison sentence: Minister

Depok, W. Java (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the government is maintaining a neutral stance regarding the 10-year prison sentence imposed on former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim.

Yusril emphasized here on Thursday that the executive branch has not interfered with the judiciary, stressing that the administration expects the high-profile graft case to play out entirely through the legal process.

"If proven guilty, then he will be punished; if not proven guilty, then he will be released," Yusril said in Depok, West Java.

Because the corruption case has only been decided by the court of first instance, Yusril noted that Nadiem retains the legal right to appeal.

He urged all parties to await the ongoing judicial process, reiterating that the government fully respects the court's authority to thoroughly review the case.

Addressing public questions regarding a dissenting opinion on the bench—where one judge voted to acquit the former minister—Yusril dismissed claims that it signaled an institutional flaw.

Yusril explained that a dissenting opinions are a normal part of judicial proceedings given that Nadiem was tried by a five-judge panel.

He added that even at the Supreme Court (MA), dissenting opinions occasionally occur among the three-judge panels handling appeals.

“That is normal in our courts. Whatever the court decides, even though there may be some who like it or dislike it, whether some people agree or disagree, that is the court's decision and we must respect it,” Yusril stated.

In the alleged corruption case involving the education digitalization program, Nadiem was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of graft. The court found him guilty of abusing his authority in the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) systems for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.

In addition to the prison sentence, the former Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology for the 2019–2024 period was fined Rp1 billion (approximately US$55,865), with a subsidiary sentence of 190 days in prison, and ordered to pay restitution of Rp809.59 billion (US$45.22 million), subsidiary to an additional five years of imprisonment.

The court ruled that Nadiem was proven guilty of accepting Rp809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia. According to the court, most of the majority of PT AKAB's funds originated from a US$786.99 million investment by Google.

The panel of judges concluded that Nadiem's actions caused state financial losses totaling Rp1.56 trillion (US$87.15 million).

The court found that the offenses were committed together with three other defendants convicted in separate trials—Ibrahim Arief (alias Ibam), Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih—as well as another suspect, Jurist Tan, who remains at large.

The court ruled that Nadiem violated Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 on Corruption Eradication, as amended by Law No. 20/2001, in conjunction with Article 55(1)(1) of the Criminal Code.

Related news: Indonesian court sentences Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in graft case

Translator: Agatha Olivia Victoria, Yashinta Difa

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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