Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, has vehemently denied allegations of corruption linked to the Chromebook procurement project. During his personal plea (pleidoi) delivered at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, June 2, Makarim asserted his innocence against the charges.
Makarim firmly stated that a thorough examination of all trial facts revealed no verifiable criminal elements against him. He emphasized, “Experts and factual witnesses have confirmed: there was no element of state financial loss, no element of unlawful act, no element of self-enrichment, enriching others, or corporations; and no mens rea or malicious intent.” This robust defense underscores his position that the foundational legal requirements for a corruption conviction were unmet.
Addressing the accusations of illicit fund flows, Makarim explicitly rejected claims of receiving any monetary gains or shares from any party. He highlighted the absence of supporting data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), which, according to him, would have otherwise proven his receipt of funds related to the project. “After five months of trial, not a single piece of evidence has emerged to show that I received any benefit, whether money or shares, in connection with the Chromebook procurement. There are no PPATK reports indicating I received a single cent or share from the ministry, laptop vendors, CDM resellers, Google, PTGI, or GoTo,” Makarim clarified, asserting a complete lack of financial ties to the alleged wrongdoing.
Makarim also countered the prosecutor’s allegation regarding an Rp 809 billion profit he supposedly received. He steadfastly maintained that this amount represented a purely internal transaction between two GoTo companies, entirely unrelated to either the Chromebook procurement or Google. He further lamented, “It has been repeatedly proven that the Rp 809 billion was an internal transaction between two GoTo companies, not involving me or Google, and I gained no monetary or share benefits from that transaction. The money was 100% returned to GoTo’s account on the same day. Yet, it has been used as the basis for my replacement money in the demands.”
Furthermore, Makarim scrutinized the “astronomical” Rp 5.6 trillion in replacement money demanded by the prosecutor. He argued that the prosecutor made a fundamental error by directly using the absolute figure from his 2022 State Officials’ Wealth Report (LHKPN). “The prosecutor explicitly took the value of my wealth from my 2022 LHKPN, amounting to Rp 4.8 trillion, and used it entirely as the replacement money, claiming I could not explain the origin of that wealth,” he stated. Makarim elucidated that this multi-trillion rupiah sum represented his “pure paper wealth” at the peak of GoTo’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) share value, stemming from shares he had owned five years prior to becoming a minister.
Concluding his arguments, Makarim questioned the prosecutorial logic that accused him of planning this alleged corruption from the outset of his tenure. He found it illogical that someone intending massive corruption would deliberately invite law enforcement to oversee their project. “I sometimes wonder: if it is true that I planned this massive corruption from the beginning of my term, why would I invite the Prosecutor’s Office to accompany the procurement process from start to finish? It is important to remember: it was the Prosecutor’s Office, not me, who was present in the procurement room when the Commitment Making Officer transacted on the LKPP e-catalog,” he pointed out, suggesting a contradiction in the prosecution’s narrative.
Makarim reiterated his absolute denial of any corrupt acts. He articulated that while he might find it easier to accept this “misfortune” if he were proven to have committed an administrative error or oversight inadvertently causing state loss, the reality was quite the opposite. “The Chromebook program was one of the most beneficial programs on the ground,” Makarim passionately declared. He highlighted that “in fact, these Chromebooks saved the budget and positively impacted millions of students and teachers across Indonesia. All procedures were carried out with due diligence. It is truly ironic that the indictment claims Chromebooks were not based on real needs, especially when during the COVID period, almost all teachers desperately called for ICT facilities simultaneously.”
The case originates from alleged corruption in the digital transformation project and the procurement of Chromebook laptops within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 2019 and 2022. In a previous hearing, prosecutors had sought an 18-year prison sentence for Nadiem, alongside significant fines and replacement money totaling Rp 5.6 trillion, asserting that his actions had caused the state a loss of Rp 2.1 trillion.
Summary
Nadiem Makarim vehemently denied corruption allegations regarding the Chromebook procurement project during his plea at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court. He asserted that a thorough examination of trial facts revealed no verifiable criminal elements, state financial loss, unlawful acts, or personal enrichment. Makarim also rejected claims of receiving any illicit funds or shares, emphasizing the absence of supporting data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK).
He clarified that the alleged Rp 809 billion profit was an internal GoTo transaction unrelated to him or the project, and fully returned on the same day. Makarim also contested the Rp 5.6 trillion replacement money, explaining it represented his “pure paper wealth” from GoTo’s IPO shares, acquired five years before becoming a minister. He questioned the prosecutorial logic, noting he had invited law enforcement to oversee the procurement process, and highlighted the Chromebook program’s positive impact and diligent procedures.