Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim sentenced to 10 years for corruption

An Indonesian anti-corruption court on Tuesday sentenced Nadiem Makarim, former Education Minister and co-founder of ride-hailing giant Gojek, to 10 years in prison for corruption. Chief Judge Purwanto Abdullah stated that the panel found Makarim guilty of abuse of power and causing state losses, but not of directly enriching himself.

The case stemmed from the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors argued that the purchase was linked to Google’s investment in Gojek. The court determined that the state suffered losses of approximately $120 million. In addition to the prison term, Makarim was ordered to pay a fine of Rp1 billion (about $55,850) and restitution of Rp809 billion (more than $45 million), or face an extended sentence.

Makarim, who co-founded Gojek in 2010 and grew it into a major platform, served as education minister from 2019 to 2024. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, vowing to appeal the verdict. He claimed the procurement saved money and called the case an “investigative error.” In his defense, he stated that there was no element of state loss, law violation, or malicious intent.

Prosecutors had sought an 18-year sentence and Rp5.68 trillion (about $313 million) in restitution. Google was not charged and denied any wrongdoing. GoTo Group, formed after Gojek’s merger with Tokopedia, said Makarim has not held a decision-making role since resigning in 2019.