Gojek co-founder sentenced to 10 years in Indonesia school laptop corruption case
9 reported
Indonesia's anti-graft court on Tuesday sentenced Nadiem Anwar Makarim, co-founder of ride-hailing and payments giant Gojek, to 10 years in prison for corruption related to his time as education minister. Makarim was convicted of pushing his ministry to buy Google Chromebook laptops for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic as Google was considering an investment in Gojek's parent company. The court ordered him to repay 809 billion rupiah (about $45.2 million) and imposed a fine of 1 billion rupiah (about $55,870). Prosecutors said the purchasing decision caused $125 million in state losses. Makarim denied wrongdoing and said he would appeal, calling the punishment excessive. The trial, which started in January, drew significant public attention, with hundreds of motorcycle taxi drivers showing support for Makarim.
What’s reported
Nadiem Anwar Makarim was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Indonesia's anti-graft court.
He was convicted of pushing his ministry to buy Google Chromebook laptops for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court ordered him to repay 809 billion rupiah (about $45.2 million) and pay a fine of 1 billion rupiah (about $55,870).
Prosecutors said the purchasing decision caused $125 million in state losses.
Three former Google executives testified that Google’s investment in GoTo was unrelated to the government’s decision.
Makarim said he would appeal, stating there was no bribery, conflict of interest, or state loss.
The 10-year sentence was below the 18 years sought by the prosecution.
Makarim was detained with two former education ministry officials and a former tech consultant; another staff member remains at large.
The trial started in January and was often attended by hundreds of motorcycle taxi drivers supporting Makarim.
Key figures
Nadiem Anwar Makarim: Gojek co-founder, former education minister, convicted.
Presiding Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah: Delivered the verdict.
Andi Saputra: Panel member who dissented, arguing for acquittal.
Sources: abcnews.com
