The co-founder of super-app Gojek who became Indonesia’s education minister has been sentenced to several years in jail for corruption.
Nadiem Makarim, 41, was found guilty of manipulating a school laptop procurement deal during his time in government to enrich himself. He had pleaded not guilty.
He received a sentence of 10 years in prison, but faces more jailtime as he is unable to pay restitution.
Nadiem left Gojek in 2019 to join the government of previous president Joko Widodo, and served as education minister until 2024. Critics of the Indonesian authorities say the case against him was based on little evidence and that he is the victim of a government campaign targeting political opponents.
Gojek is a popular app in South East Asia with more than 170 million people using it for transport and digital payments. Nadiem has gained a large following as the co- founder of one of Indonesia’s most successful tech companies.
In addition to the 10-year prison term, Nadiem was ordered to pay restitution of 809 billion rupiah ($45m, £34m) – the amount he was found guilty of enriching himself with – or serve an additional five years.
Nadiem has said that as he is unable to pay this amount, he has effectively been sentenced to 15 years.
He also faces a one billion rupiah fine. If unpaid, he will serve an additional 190 days in jail.
The case centres on the education ministry’s procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools in Indonesia from 2021 to 2022.
Prosecutors alleged that the Chromebooks were purchased even though the ministry had determined in 2018 that the computers required an internet connection to be used, which made them unsuitable in remote areas of Indonesia where internet connectivity is difficult.
The ministry went ahead with the purchase after Nadiem met with Google representatives in 2020, said prosecutors.
Prosecutors alleged that Nadiem favoured Google – a Gojek investor – when the procurement was made, saying he created tender specifications that only fit the Chrome system to “make Google the sole controller of the education ecosystem in Indonesia”.
They said Nadiem’s actions violated the government’s anti-corruption pledges and harmed the education system. He was accused of causing $125m in state losses while enriching himself.
