August 5, 2026 | 05:01 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Indonesian Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim said he remains optimistic that an appeal court will overturn his 10-year prison sentence in the alleged Chromebook procurement corruption case.
“I am optimistic for several reasons,” Nadiem told reporters after attending his appeal hearing at the Jakarta High Court on Wednesday.
Nadiem, who served as education minister from 2019 to 2024, argued that the case lacked evidence of state financial losses or criminal corruption elements, which he said should be apparent even to the general public.
He said the absence of such elements made it difficult for the lower court to justify a guilty verdict against him.
“The difficulty can be seen from the verdict itself, which stated that I abused my authority by giving too much power to special staff members and technology consultants,” Nadiem said.
“Imagine receiving a 10-year prison sentence because I gave too much authority. That is one example of a forced interpretation. Our case is very strong,” he added.
Citing Judicial Oversight Findings
Nadiem also cited the second reason behind his confidence: findings from the Judicial Commission (KY), which identified alleged violations by judges handling his case after his legal team reported possible pressure or intimidation against judges at the district court level.
He expressed hope that ongoing internal reforms within the Attorney General’s Office would help ensure judges could make decisions independently.
“Judges should be able to remain independent, follow the facts presented in court, and make decisions based on their conscience,” Nadiem said.
Nadiem was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty in a corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebooks and Chrome Device Management (CDM) systems for the Education Ministry’s digitalization program between 2019 and 2022.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a Rp1 billion fine, with an additional 190 days of imprisonment if unpaid, as well as Rp809.59 billion in restitution, with an additional five years in prison if the payment is not made.
The restitution was ordered after the court found that Nadiem had received Rp809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia. A significant portion of PT AKAB’s funding came from Google’s investment worth US$786.99 million.
The court found that Nadiem abused his authority, causing state losses of Rp1.56 trillion.
Prosecutors alleged that the corruption involved the procurement of information and communication technology-based learning equipment, including Chromebook laptops and CDM systems, for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years. The procurement was deemed inconsistent with planning procedures and government procurement principles.
The court said the offense was committed together with three other defendants who have already received separate verdicts: Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih. Another suspect, Jurist Tan, remains at large.
Nadiem was convicted under 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) of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
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