Nadiem Makarim, co-founder of Gojek and Indonesia’s former education minister, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a corruption case linked to a Chromebook laptop procurement deal. A Jakarta court ruled he abused his authority during a school digitalisation programme, causing estimated state losses of around $120 million. Makarim will appeal the verdict.

Nadiem Makarim, the co-founder of Southeast Asian super-app Gojek and Indonesia's former technology minister, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption over a controversial laptop procurement deal. Makarim, once hailed as a symbol of Indonesia's tech boom, broke down after the verdict and said he would appeal, calling the ruling politically motivated.

The Verdict

Judges at the Jakarta anti-corruption court found Makarim guilty of abuse of authority and causing state losses in connection with the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presiding Judge Purwanto Abdullah ruled that Makarim, who served as education, culture, research and technology minister from 2019 to 2024, abused his authority in the school digitalisation programme run between 2019 and 2022. He was, however, found not guilty of directly seeking to enrich himself, and the court put state losses at approximately $120 million

What is the Chromebook grafting case?