An Indonesian court has sentenced Nadiem Makarim, the former education minister and co-founder of Gojek, to 10 years in prison in a corruption case tied to school Chromebook purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The anti-corruption court in Jakarta convicted Nadiem on Tuesday, June 30, after judges found him guilty of graft linked to the procurement programme. The court said the case caused around US$120 million in state losses.
Nadiem was also ordered to pay a fine of 1 billion rupiah, about US$55,850, and 809 billion rupiah in restitution. If he does not pay the restitution, he faces an additional prison term.
The verdict marks a sharp fall for a figure long associated with Indonesia’s technology boom. Nadiem co-founded Gojek in 2010, starting with about 20 motorcycle drivers in Jakarta before the service expanded into ride hailing, food delivery and digital payments.
He entered government in 2019 under then President Joko Widodo and became one of the country’s youngest cabinet members. He served as education minister until 2024.
Prosecutors had argued that the Chromebook purchase decision was linked to Google’s investment in Gojek and had cost the state around US$120 million. They had sought an 18 year sentence and a 5.6 trillion rupiah fine.
Nadiem has denied wrongdoing and said the case was politically motivated. His lawyer said he would appeal the verdict.
In a defence plea this month, Nadiem said: “Experts and factual witnesses have stated: there was no element of state losses, no element of legal violation, no element of self-enrichment, enrichment of other people or corporations, and no mens rea or malicious intent.”
Google was not charged in the case and has denied wrongdoing. GoTo Group, formed through the merger of Gojek and Tokopedia, said Nadiem had held no decision-making role since leaving the company in 2019.
Nadiem warned that the prosecution could discourage others from entering public life. “Young professionals fear that they will be the next victims,” he said.
