Indonesia
The Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday sentenced former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison and Rp 809 billion (US$45.4 million) in restitution for causing state losses in the procurement of Chromebook laptops during his time in office, an amount Nadiem said he could not afford.
Nadiem Makarim, former education minister and cofounder of ride-hailing company Gojek, gestures on Tuesday during a verdict hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta in a corruption case related to the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools during his time in office. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for causing state losses in a case involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools nationwide during his time in office.The panel of judges found Nadiem guilty of abusing his authority when he approved the tender specifications that were altered to fit only the Chromebooks in the purchase of more than one million laptops between 2020 and 2022 and causing Rp 1.57 trillion (US$87.6 million) in state losses.
“The Chromebook laptop procurement was not optimal because the devices could not be used because of a lack of internet access in many regions in Indonesia,” judge Mediantos said while reading out the verdict, adding that it resulted in the project not generating benefits in line with the amount of the state budget spent.
