Nadiem Makarim Absent at the First Session of the Chromebook Corruption Trial due to Post-Surgery Pain
JAKARTA - The first trial of the alleged corruption case of the digitization of education in the procurement of Chromebook laptops in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) in 2019-2022 which dragged former Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Anwar Makarim was postponed.
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The postponement was made because Nadiem could not attend the trial because he was still undergoing bail or suspension of his detention due to illness.
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"So we postpone the next trial on Tuesday, December 23, 2025," said Presiding Judge Purwanto Abdullah in a reading of the indictment at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court, Antara, Tuesday, December 16.
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Public Prosecutor from the Attorney General's Office Roy Riady explained, based on the results of the doctor's examination, Nadiem has not been able to attend the trial because he has just undergone surgery.
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Although he did not specify the type of surgery, the prosecutor submitted a request that if Nadiem was still recovering next week, the trial could be followed online.
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"Thus, so that the trial of evidence can be carried out simultaneously for Mr. Nadiem and the other three defendants," said the prosecutor.
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The other three defendants in this case are the Technology Consultant of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ibrahim Arief, the Director of Elementary Schools at the Directorate General of Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2020-2021, who is also the Budget User of the SD Directorate Sri Wahyuningsih, and the Director of the First Middle School at the same directorate in 2020-2021, as well as the Budget User of the SMP Directorate Mulyatsyah.
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The indictment against the three defendants was read separately after the trial for reading the indictment against Nadiem was postponed.
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In September 2025, Nadiem was taken to the hospital for surgery. Nadiem's mother-in-law, Sania Makki, previously said that her son-in-law had undergone perianal fistula surgery.
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The Attorney General's Office revealed that the state's losses due to the alleged corruption case in the procurement of Chromebook laptops in the 2019-2022 education digitization program of the Ministry of Education and Culture reached more than IDR 2.1 trillion.
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"The total state loss reached more than Rp. 2.1 trillion," said the Director of Prosecution at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, Riono Budisantoso, at the Jampidsus Building of the Attorney General's Office, Jakarta, Monday.
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Riono explained that this case was related to the procurement of information and communication technology devices in the form of Chromebooks and Chrome Device Management (CDM) which were carried out in the period 2019-2022.
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In this case, investigators have named five suspects, namely Nadiem Anwar Makarim, Sri Wahyuningsih, Ibrahim Arief, Mulyatsyah, and former Special Staff for the Minister of Education and Culture Jurist Tan. The Jurist Tan case file has not been forwarded to the court because the person concerned is still at large.