Convey Personal Excuses, Nadiem: There is No Proof of My Corruption

JAKARTA - In the continuation of the trial of the alleged corruption case of the Education Digitization Program held at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta, Tuesday, January 6, Nadiem Makarim submitted a Personal Expose to the Public Prosecutor's Indictment which was considered inaccurate, unclear, incomplete and basically did not meet all the requirements of criminal procedure law.

In the Expose read in front of the panel of judges, Nadiem emphasized several important points:

● At the request of the Ministry, in 2023 and 2024 the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) has conducted 2 compliance audits on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Equipment Assistance Program for 2020 and 2021-2022, and no inappropriate or unreasonable prices or violations were found that resulted in potential losses to the state.

● During Nadiem's tenure as Minister, the Indonesian Republic's Financial Audit Agency (BPK RI) has audited all activities at the Ministry of Education and Culture, including an audit of the Technology, Information, and Communication (TIK) Equipment Assistance Program from 2020-2022. All audit results from the BPK RI did not record any violations that could potentially harm state finances.

● The calculation of state losses suddenly emerged AFTER Nadiem became a suspect in November 2025 through the BPKP report. This is in contrast to the two audits conducted by the same institution a year earlier. The report also did not receive a declaration from the BPK RI as the only institution authorized to determine state losses constitutionally and legally.

● The allegation of state losses of IDR 1.5 trillion associated with the high price of laptops is not related to the policy of using Chrome OS compared to Windows OS, which in fact saves the budget. Nadiem has no involvement in the procurement process, including price setting and vendor selection.

● The implementation of the ICT Program procurement is carried out with the active assistance of the Attorney General's Office, the Competition Oversight Commission (KPPU), and the Government Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP), and is under the supervision of the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Education and Culture which has a background in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General's Office.

● There is no concrete evidence of the accusation of "enriching oneself". The flow of funds of Rp809 billion that was alleged was purely a corporate transaction of PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) and PT Gojek Indonesia (PT GI) which was not received by Nadiem. This transaction can be easily verified through official documentation from PT AKAB (GoTo).

● The increase in Nadiem's assets based on the State Organizer Wealth Report (LHKPN) comes from the fluctuation in the value of PT AKAB shares owned by Nadiem with the following details:

○ 2022: PT AKAB's share price soared during the IPO with a price range of IDR 250-300/sheet. Nadiem's wealth was recorded at IDR 4.8T. ○ 2023: PT AKAB's share price fell to around IDR 100/sheet. Nadiem's wealth fell drastically to IDR 906M. ○ 2024: PT AKAB's share price fell to around IDR 70-80/sheet. Nadiem's wealth fell again to IDR 600M.

● When Chrome OS was selected in 2020, Nadiem did not sign any documents that set the decision. His role was only to attend a meeting on May 6, 2020 and provide an opinion on the team's recommendations, namely the allocation of 14 Chrome OS laptop units and 1 Windows laptop per school. The final decision change regarding the use of Chrome OS was made without input from Nadiem, because determining the technical specifications was outside his authority.

● All facts show that the policy of using Chrome OS actually produces budget savings of at least IDR 1.2 trillion, not causing losses. This is because the Chrome OS license is free, while the Windows license is paid.

● The indictment was also considered not to have elaborated the causal relationship between the alleged actions and the state's losses, although the crime of corruption is a material offense that requires such consequences.

He also emphasized the principle of law which he considered to have been ignored. "I really don't understand and I really question if there is an audit result from BPKP that does not receive a declaration from BPK-RI. In fact, BPK-RI is the only institution that is designated to declare state losses. Why doesn't BPKP ask for a declaration to BPK-RI? ".

Through the Exeption, Nadiem asked the Panel of Judges to reject the Indictment because it was prepared without valid evidence, contrary to the provisions of the criminal procedure law, and had the potential to harm the principle of justice.

Nadiem also conveyed that all his life and career journeys, both when building Gojek and when receiving the mandate as Minister of Education and Culture, were efforts to serve the nation in good faith, and hoped that the panel of judges would deliver a verdict that was as fair as possible based on the law and conscience.

A number of public figures who attended the trial provided support for Nadiem, also highlighting the Personal Expose read by Nadiem.

"This is not just about one person, but about how the law is carried out. When charges are filed without valid evidence and without clear authority, what is being tested is the integrity of our judicial system," said Goenawan Mohamad, Poet and Senior Journalist (Founder of Tempo).