Former Indonesian Education Minister's Sentence Reduced to 9 Years for Corruption

The Jakarta High Court has reduced the prison sentence for former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek), Nadiem Makarim, from 10 years to 9 years in the appeal trial for the Chromebook procurement corruption case. The court found him legally and convincingly guilty of committing corruption, as charged by the public prosecutor. In its verdict, the High Court sentenced Nadiem Makarim to 9 years in prison and a fine of Rp 1 billion. This fine must be paid within one month of the verdict becoming final and binding. If the fine is not paid, the defendant's assets will be seized and auctioned. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional 140 days of imprisonment. Furthermore, the court reduced the state compensation amount for Nadiem Makarim from Rp 809 billion to Rp 548 billion. This compensation aims to restore the state's loss of Rp 1,567,888,662,716.74 (approximately Rp 1.5 trillion) in this case. If the compensation is not paid within one month of the verdict becoming final, the defendant's assets can be seized and auctioned by the prosecutor. If the assets are insufficient, the defendant will be sentenced to 6 years in prison. Any partial payment of the compensation will be deducted from the additional prison term. The court also ruled that Nadiem Makarim will continue to serve his sentence under house arrest. The period of house arrest already served will be fully deducted from the imposed prison sentence. This High Court decision accepts the appeals from both the prosecution and the defense, modifying the primary and additional sentences regarding state compensation from the verdict of the Corruption Crime Court at the Central Jakarta District Court dated June 30, 2026. Source: Liputan6