Outcry as Indonesian prosecutors seek 18-year sentence for ex-education minister Nadiem over graft case

JAKARTA - The prosecution of Indonesia’s former education minister Nadiem Makarim for alleged corruption in the procurement of Chromebook laptops in 2020 has prompted an outcry over what many deem an unfair prison sentence sought for one of the country’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs.In a courtroom filled with Makarim’s supporters on May 13, prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) asked the Jakarta Corruption Court to sentence Makarim to 18 years in prison for allegedly manipulating the procurement of Chromebooks and enriching himself when he was the education minister.Makarim cofounded ride-hailing company Gojek in 2010 and resigned as Gojek chief executive in 2019 to serve ​as education minister until 2024 under then president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.Prosecutors said Makarim had approved the tender specifications that were altered to fit only the Chromebooks in the laptop purchase for schools in remote and underdeveloped regions between 2019 and 2022, despite the ministry’s research team advising against it due to its ineffectiveness in regions lacking internet access.Prosecutors said his actions incurred 2.18 trillion rupiah (S$158 million) in state losses.They also accused Makarim of enriching himself by around 809 billion rupiah through the Chromebook procurement, which was intended to advance his personal interests in Google’s investment for Gojek’s then-parent company PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa although it was not involved in the laptop procurement.The AGO demanded Makarim pay 5.6 trillion rupiah in restitution to the state and 1 billion rupiah in fines.Google has not been accused of any wrongdoing and said on its blog that Chromebooks were designed to be able to be used in remote and offline learning environments.Speaking to reporters after the trial, Makarim called the 18-years sentence sought by prosecutors nonsense, saying prosecutors lacked evidence to sustain their allegations that he had personally enriched himself.Attending the hearing on May 13 was his father, prominent corporate lawyer Nono Anwar Makarim, while dozens of online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers filled the lobby of the court.Speaking to The Jakarta Post on May 14, prominent human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis described the verdict “insane” and drew similarities between Makarim’s case and that of former trade minister Thomas Lembong, who initially received a 4.5-year prison sentence in a sugar import graft case before later obtaining presidential abolition in 2025.“Both are public officials criminalised for their policy decisions, which were actually their prerogative,” said Mr Todung, who attended Makarim’s previous trial session on May 11.“The question is whether Nadiem enriched himself through the project, but there was no evidence of that throughout the trial, so I believe the legal construction built by prosecutors was flawed.”Mr Todung warned that prosecutors should have had better understanding of the complexities of modern governance and private-sector business, or else such rulings would “discourage future businessmen and talented, young local professionals from entering public service”.Law expert Yunus Husein, a former chief of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center, said the 18-year prison sentence sought for Makarim was excessively harsh, questioning the prosecutors’ calculation of state losses that prompted the “massive” fine in his case.“I do not see a clear basis for calculating such a large fine, which should correspond to money personally enjoyed by the corruptor,” Dr Yunus told the Post.The prosecution of Makarim was also immediately followed by an outpouring of support on social media, and his name started trending on social media platform X.A closing statement from the defence is not expected until June 2 at the earliest, due to Makarim’s scheduled surgery reportedly for a condition known as a perianal fistula.Judges have recently authorised moving Makarim from a detention center to house arrest because of his health issues.The court has ⁠so far ​sentenced two of Makarim’s former subordinates at the ministry and a technology consultant, Ibrahim Arief, to between four years and four and ​a half years in prison for their involvement in the case.Makarim’s former special staffer, Jurist Tan, has remained at large since being named a suspect by the AGO in August 2025.The ruling on May 12 on Ibrahim was a split decision, with two judges issuing dissenting opinions.They argued that the defendant should be acquitted since his role was limited to non-binding technical advice and that prosecutors had failed to prove a causal link to the alleged corruption.Much like Makarim’s case, Ibrahim’s conviction has also drawn sympathy online, with netizens arguing that as a consultant, he lacked formal decision-making authority and warning that the case could discourage skilled professionals from taking part in government projects. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK