Indonesia jails ex-minister Makarim for graft

The Central Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced former education minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Anwar Makarim to 10 years in prison in a corruption case linked to the procurement of Chromebooks for Indonesian schools. The verdict was delivered on June 30, 2026, concluding the first-instance trial over a digitalisation programme that ran during the COVID-19 period. The court also imposed financial penalties and detailed how it viewed Makarim’s role in directing the procurement policy.

Judges said Makarim abused his authority in connection with the programme, which involved large-scale purchases of Google Chromebook devices for schools. The procurement was framed as part of efforts to support remote and digital learning, but investigators later scrutinised how specifications and purchasing decisions were made.

In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Makarim to pay 809.6 billion rupiah in restitution. It also imposed a 1 billion rupiah fine, with coverage noting that additional prison time could apply if these monetary obligations are not met. These sums are far below what prosecutors initially sought but still represent a substantial financial sanction for the former minister.

Prosecutors had requested an 18-year prison sentence and claimed overall restitution and damages of about 5.6 trillion rupiah. They alleged that the Chromebook procurement programme, which ran roughly from 2020 to 2022, caused about 2.18 trillion rupiah in state losses, reported as equivalent to around 120–125 million US dollars. These alleged losses formed the backbone of the state’s case that the procurement process harmed public finances.

The panel of judges, led by presiding judge Purwanto S. Abdullah, read out a lengthy decision outlining how Makarim’s actions were judged to constitute an abuse of authority. The ruling stated that the way the programme was directed and implemented met the legal threshold for corruption. The court linked this abuse to the scale of the alleged financial impact on the state.

Despite the majority decision, at least one judge on the panel issued a dissenting opinion. The existence of a dissent underscores that there was not complete unanimity on the assessment of evidence or legal interpretation. However, the majority view prevailed, resulting in conviction and sentencing on the main charges related to the procurement.

Makarim has consistently denied wrongdoing in the case, rejecting the conclusion that he abused his authority. Following the verdict, he criticised the decision and indicated that he considers the ruling unjust. He has formally announced plans to appeal, seeking a higher court’s review of both the conviction and the sentence.

The sentence already takes into account that Makarim was arrested in September, with time served to be deducted from the 10-year term. The appeal process will determine whether the prison term, restitution order, and fine are upheld, reduced, or overturned. Until that process is complete, the case remains a significant test of high-profile corruption enforcement in Indonesia’s education sector and broader public procurement.