Gojek Co-Founder Faces 18 Years in Prison

According to Reuters, the proposed 18-year prison term for Nadiem Makarim represents one of the harshest sentences sought for a former Indonesian cabinet minister in recent years.

Former Minister Nadiem Makarim appears in court

Makarim is accused of illicit enrichment totaling approximately 809 billion rupiah ($46.3 million) linked to the procurement of Chromebook laptops and the Chrome OS operating system for schools between 2020 and 2022. The case reportedly resulted in $125.64 million in losses to state coffers.

Makarim stepped down as Gojek CEO in 2019 to assume the role of Minister of Education. He held the cabinet portfolio until 2024 before being arrested in September 2025 alongside several other high-ranking officials.

During a hearing at the Jakarta anti-corruption court, prosecutors alleged that Makarim engineered bidding specifications tailored exclusively to the Chrome ecosystem. According to the prosecution, the objective was to "render Google the sole dominant force over Indonesia's educational ecosystem."

Indonesia's Ministry of Education had determined as early as 2018 that Chromebooks require a stable internet connection—a prerequisite that remains unmet in many remote areas of the Southeast Asian archipelago. Nevertheless, the procurement proceeded following multiple meetings between Makarim and representatives from Google Asia Pacific and Google Indonesia throughout 2020.

Defense attorney Ari Yusuf Amir stated that his client denies all allegations. Amir expressed dismay that prosecutors dismissed new evidence presented to the court. A verdict is expected to be handed down in June.

Previously, Makarim himself addressed the potential fallout from the case. "I think it could have very serious consequences," he told Tech in Asia, alluding to the risk of deterring foreign investors from injecting capital into Indonesia.

To date, three Ministry of Education officials implicated in the case have been convicted, receiving sentences of up to four and a half years in prison.