TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nadiem Makarim's legal counsel, Ari Yusuf Amir, is convinced that the panel of judges will acquit his client in the Chromebook corruption case. He believes that the guilty verdict against a former consultant of the Ministry of Education, Ibrahim Arief, cannot be used as a benchmark for his client's fate.
"What the judges decided in Ibam's case does not set a standard that must be followed in other verdicts," Ari said in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Ibrahim, commonly known as Ibam, was Nadiem's subordinate during the latter's tenure as Minister of Education. The Central Jakarta District Court judges found Ibrahim guilty in the corruption case related to the procurement of Chromebooks at the ministry, sentencing him to four years in prison and a Rp500 million fine. Ibrahim has already expressed his intention to appeal the verdict.
Since Ibrahim is pursuing further legal action, the judge's verdict is not yet legally binding. Therefore, Nadiem's lawyer believes that the panel of judges is not bound by the decision made against Ibrahim.
Ari remains optimistic that Nadiem will receive a favorable verdict from the court. He believes that if the judges acquit Nadiem, it will not contradict the previous verdict against Ibrahim.
Currently, Nadiem's legal team is preparing a defense plea to counter the prosecutor's charges. The plea can only be presented on June 2, as Nadiem is still recovering from a recent surgery.
In previous court sessions, prosecutors demanded that the judges sentence Nadiem to 18 years in prison, impose a fine of Rp1 billion, and order restitution of Rp809.5 billion, plus an additional Rp 4.8 trillion.
Read: What Prosecutors Demand in Nadiem Makarim Chromebook Corruption Case
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