The Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday found Nadiem Makarim, the founder of Southeast Asian super-app Gojek and former Indonesian education minister, guilty of corruption and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The court also imposed a fine of one billion rupiah ($55,870) and ordered him to pay restitution of 809 billion rupiah ($45 million), with an additional five-year prison term if the restitution is not paid.
Chromebook Procurement Scandal
The case revolves around the education ministry's procurement of over one million Google Chromebooks for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors accused Nadiem of overpaying for laptops and software, ignoring internal evaluations, and making decisions that enriched himself, resulting in approximately $120 million in state losses.
Nadiem, 41, pleaded not guilty and announced he would appeal the verdict immediately. “I have effectively been sentenced to 15 years, because I have been ordered to pay 809 billion rupiah in restitution, which I do not have,” he told media after the verdict. “I will file an appeal immediately and continue fighting for the truth, for the sake of young people, professionals, and everyone innocent who is being criminalized.”
From Tech Entrepreneur to Minister
Before entering politics, Nadiem founded Gojek in 2010, which grew from a motorbike taxi and courier service into a multi-service platform offering food delivery and digital payments. By 2020, the app had over 190 million downloads and became Indonesia's first unicorn start-up, valued at about $10 billion in 2019.
In 2019, President Joko Widodo recruited Nadiem to bring a tech-driven approach to government as education minister, a role he held until 2024. Nadiem said his decision to serve was partly to encourage professionals to enter public service. However, in his closing statement last week, he warned that the case could deter others: “Youth across all of Indonesia, and the diaspora in every corner of the world, await your answer to the question echoing in their hearts: ‘Is this country still safe for us to serve?’”
