Indonesian court cuts Gojek founder’s sentence to nine years

Indonesian court reduces Gojek founder's 10-year prison sentence to 9 years

JAKARTA: An Indonesian court has lowered the prison term of Gojek founder and former education minister Nadiem Makarim from 10 years to 9 years for a graft conviction related to improper laptop procurement, as announced on Thursday. Makarim had been sentenced to 10 years in prison in June for abusing his authority during the procurement of Google Chromebooks for schools in Indonesia, causing US$125 million in state losses. He appealed the decision to the Jakarta high court on July 1.

Judge Catur Iriantoro explained the court's decision, stating that they did not agree with Makarim's appeal to dismiss all charges, as the previous ruling aligned with the facts in the trial, the presented evidence, and witness testimony. The court also reduced the restitution amount Makarim must pay from 809 billion rupiah (US$45.23 million) to 548 billion rupiah, according to judge Subachran Hardi Mulyana.

Following the hearing, Makarim expressed his disappointment with the ruling and announced his intention to file another appeal to the Supreme Court. He lamented that the victim is not only himself but also the credibility of the Indonesian law enforcement system, as per his statement to reporters.