Prosecutors: Nadiem Makarim's Defense Bolsters Corruption Charges

Prosecutors contend that former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim's defense statement, or duplik, inadvertently supports the charges against him. The prosecution highlighted Makarim's acknowledgment of a May 6, 2020 decision to use Chromebooks as a branded commodity in procurement using Special Allocation Funds (DAK).

Prosecutor Corneles Geeb Paulus stated that specifying brands is explicitly forbidden by Presidential Regulations No. 16 of 2018 and No. 12 of 2021. He refuted Makarim's claims of budget savings, asserting that the procurement resulted in significant state financial losses and price inflation. Paulus argued that Makarim's comparison of 15 Chromebooks costing nearly Rp 100 million per school to a Computer Laboratory or PC package of 22 units for nearly Rp 140 million was flawed.

Paulus explained that the procured Chromebooks only met minimum specifications, while the computer lab packages had maximum specifications and included server devices. He further alleged that the state's financial waste was exacerbated by the Chromebook system's dependence on Google Cloud procurement, costing hundreds of billions of rupiah annually. This cloud integration project is reportedly under investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Prosecutors also challenged Makarim's defense regarding the discretionary authority of state officials. While acknowledging that Law No. 30 of 2014 on Government Administration grants such authority, Paulus stressed it is only applicable under specific conditions, such as legal vacuum or conflicting regulations. He argued that no such vacuum existed, as the Government Goods and Services Procurement Policy Institute (LKPP) had issued prudent regulations prohibiting brand-name specifications. Based on trial evidence of state financial losses, malicious intent, and deliberate criminal acts, prosecutors believe Makarim's actions constitute a criminal offense, not merely an administrative policy issue.