Nadiem Makarim's Lawyers React to Alleged Ethics Breach by Judges

August 1, 2026 | 09:44 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -  Lawyers representing former education minister Nadiem Makarim have welcomed the Judicial Commission's (KY) preliminary finding that judges who presided over his corruption trial may have violated the judicial code of ethics, saying it should be taken into consideration during his ongoing appeal.

Although the Judicial Commission's investigation is still underway, it has stated that there are initial indications of ethical violations by judges at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court who handled Nadiem's case.

"We appreciate the Judicial Commission's efforts to ensure an objective judicial process," Dodi S. Abdulkadir, one of Nadiem's lawyers, said in a text message on Friday, July 31, 2026.

"These preliminary findings should serve as important input for the appellate court reviewing our client's appeal so that necessary corrections can be made," he added.

According to Indonesia's court case tracking system, Nadiem filed an appeal with the Jakarta High Court on July 13 after being convicted in the Chromebook procurement corruption case.

The Central Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison, imposed a Rp1 billion (US$...) fine, and ordered him to pay Rp809.6 billion in restitution.

"We also hope the Supreme Court will respond positively to the Judicial Commission's recommendations so similar practices that could undermine justice can be prevented in the future," Dodi said.

Defense Questions Judges' Impartiality

Another member of Nadiem's legal team, Ari Yusuf Amir, also welcomed the commission's preliminary findings, saying the defense had submitted evidence to support its complaint and had recently been asked by the Judicial Commission to clarify that evidence.

"One of the clearest issues concerns the presiding judge, who had already been sanctioned by the Judicial Commission with a non-gavel penalty but was still assigned to lead this trial," Ari told Tempo by phone on Friday.

He was referring to Purwanto S. Abdullah, the chief judge in Nadiem's trial. According to Ari, Purwanto had previously been found to have violated the judicial code of ethics in a separate case involving former trade minister Tom Lembong, yet was later appointed to oversee another high-profile corruption trial.

Ari also questioned the panel's impartiality, arguing that the judges appeared to treat Nadiem as guilty before the trial concluded.

"When questioning witnesses, the judges showed an attitude suggesting the defendant was already guilty," he said.

He alleged that the court focused primarily on evidence that could incriminate Nadiem while paying little attention to evidence that could support his defense.

Ari further claimed prosecutors were allowed to present dozens of witnesses, while the defense was permitted to call only between three and six witnesses before the court halted further testimony.

Judicial Commission Finds Initial Indications of Ethics Violations

Judicial Commission commissioner Abhan, who oversees judicial supervision and investigations, said the commission received public complaints regarding Nadiem's case and had also independently monitored the proceedings.

Four of the five judges who heard the case were reported to the commission. The fifth judge, Andi Saputra, was not included because he issued a dissenting opinion, arguing that Nadiem should have been acquitted.

"The case is still under further review. Based on our preliminary assessment, there are indications of violations of the judicial code of ethics," Abhan said during a press conference at the Judicial Commission headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday, July 30.

He declined to elaborate on the alleged violations, saying the investigation remains ongoing.

Abhan said the case has been referred to the commission's Bureau for Judicial Supervision, which will continue examining the evidence before the commission reaches a final decision in a plenary meeting.

"Our preliminary conclusion is that there are indications of ethical violations. However, the final determination will only be made after all relevant facts have been clarified," he said.

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