Nadiem Emphasizes There is No Proven Evil Intent in the Trial

Nadiem Makarim/ANTARA FOTO/M RISYAL HIDAYAT)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the period 2019-2024, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, said that there was no proven evil intention in his case trial.

"Because it never existed. This case is indeed unique, because the disparity in evidence is so striking," said Nadiem when reading the duplicate (response to the reply) in the trial at the Corruption Court (Tipikor) at the Central Jakarta District Court (Jakpus), Tuesday, 23 June.

He said all his interactions with the team were recorded in all WhatsApp groups since he took office.

All policy documents, audit results, and field data are recorded and cannot be denied.

According to him, there is a pile of evidence of messages, documents, and testimonies of good intentions to accompany the procurement program of Chromebooks from the beginning to the end.

While still in the detention house, Nadiem read the transcript of the Whatsapp message with his team at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

While re-reading the 5-year-old message for a week, he admitted that he had unknowingly dropped tears on various message sheets.

"I cry not because my freedom is taken away, but because I am touched by the dedication and idealism of my team that is recorded in thousands of pages," he said.

Nadiem said various stories of his team fighting against corruption, fighting for the welfare of the people, and breaking the stagnant learning paradigm, were contained in the message.

He realized then that honesty and truth would be difficult to contain. The world would see the truth and that is what happened in the Chromebook trial.

Nadiem is one of the defendants in the case of alleged corruption in the education digitization program in the form of the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) in the Ministry of Education and Culture environment in 2019-2022.

Previously, he was charged with a prison sentence of 18 years, a fine of Rp1 billion, 190 days in prison, and a substitute money of Rp5.67 trillion, 9 years in prison.

In that case, Nadiem was charged with corruption that caused losses to state finances worth Rp2.18 trillion.

The corruption was allegedly carried out, among others, by carrying out the procurement of learning facilities based on information and communication technology with Chromebook laptops and CDM in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 budget years, which were not in accordance with the procurement planning and procurement principles.

The founder of one of the technology companies was charged with committing the act together with three other defendants in a different trial, namely Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah and Sri Wahyuningsih as well as Jurist Tan, who is currently still at large.

In detail, the state losses caused include Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitization program at the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as 44.05 million US dollars or the equivalent of Rp621.39 billion due to the procurement of CDM that is not necessary and not useful in the education digitization program.

With this act, Nadiem is suspected of having received money amounting to IDR 809.59 billion originating from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) through PT Gojek Indonesia.

It is stated that most of PT AKAB's money comes from Google's investment of US$786.99 million.

This can be seen from Nadiem's wealth which is recorded in the State-level Wealth Report (LHKPN) in 2022, namely there is an acquisition of property in the form of securities worth IDR 5.59 trillion.

For his actions, Nadiem is threatened with a criminal penalty as stipulated in Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.