Nadiem Makarim
Today, a panel of judges at the Corruption Crimes Court at the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the Chromebook procurement corruption case.
Makarim was detained in September 2025 and had been moved to house arrest in May due to health concerns. The period of detention that he had served would be deducted entirely from the imposed sentence.
Makarim was proven guilty of committing a criminal act of corruption as regulated in Article 3 of the Corruption Eradication Law and Article 604 of the Criminal Code.
As part of the punishment, in addition to 10 years of imprisonment, the panel of judges also imposed a fine of IDR1 billion (US$55,000) that can be replaced with 190 days of imprisonment, and an additional penalty in the form of an obligation to pay compensation of IDR809 billion (US$45 million).
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Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office first launched a formal probe into the case in May 2025, examining dozens of witnesses involved in Chromebook procurements valued at nearly US$600 million overall.
Makarim publicly denied wrongdoing in June 2025, defending the use of Chromebooks as a cost-effective solution for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After being questioned as a witness, he was barred from overseas travel and was named a suspect in September 2025 before being detained.
Multiple trial delays followed, including a postponement in December 2025 due to Makarim’s post-surgery recovery, before proceedings resumed in January.
With the assistance of his legal team, Makarim has posted a statement on LinkedIn about the sentencing: “The verdict is in, and it’s as bad as I feared: 10 years in prison, plus a further five years and six months if I can’t pay the IDR809 billion restitution. I don’t have that money — never have, never touched it — and the prosecutors and judges knew this.”
“I sat in front of the judges. None of them could look me in the eye. They knew I wasn’t guilty. Of course, I will keep fighting: for my kids, my family, and the Indonesia I still love. I will appeal immediately, for the sake of truth, for the young people, the professionals, everyone innocent who’s being criminalised.”
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