By Oluwakemi Kindness
An Indonesian court has sentenced former Education Minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption linked to a school laptop procurement project.
The court ruled that Makarim manipulated the purchase of Chromebook laptops for schools during his tenure as education minister, enabling him to unlawfully benefit from the deal. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered him to pay 809 billion rupiah (about $45 million) in restitution.
Failure to pay the amount will result in an additional five years behind bars. He was also fined one billion rupiah, with a further jail term if the fine remains unpaid.
Makarim, 41, left Gojek in 2019 to join the administration of former President Joko Widodo and served as education minister until 2024.
The case centres on the Education Ministry’s procurement of Chromebook laptops between 2021 and 2022. Prosecutors argued that the devices were unsuitable for many remote parts of Indonesia because they require reliable internet access.
They alleged that the ministry proceeded with the purchases after Makarim met with representatives of Google in 2020 and that procurement requirements were designed to favour the Chrome operating system.
According to prosecutors, the arrangement caused losses of about $125 million to the state while allowing Makarim to enrich himself.
Makarim denied the allegations, insisting he never personally received the funds in question. He also argued that Google’s investment in Gojek had no connection to the procurement process and maintained that the Chromebook programme reduced costs for the government.
The conviction has sparked debate in Indonesia, with critics of the authorities claiming the case was politically motivated and based on weak evidence.
Before the trial, dozens of supporters, including Gojek drivers, gathered outside a Jakarta courthouse carrying banners expressing support for the former minister.
