Indonesia Court Cuts Gojek Founder Nadiem Makarim’s Sentence to 9 Years

An Indonesian appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of Gojek co-founder and former education minister Nadiem Makarim from 10 years to nine years after partially allowing his appeal against a corruption conviction linked to the procurement of laptops for Indonesian schools.

The Jakarta High Court delivered its ruling on Thursday, September 24, 2026, while upholding Makarim’s conviction over the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops and related technology during his tenure as education minister.

The court also reduced the amount of restitution Makarim must pay from about 809 billion rupiah to approximately 548 billion rupiah. The ruling further maintained a fine of one billion rupiah, according to reports from Indonesian media.

Makarim, who co-founded Gojek before entering government, had been sentenced to 10 years in June after the Jakarta Corruption Court found him guilty of abusing his authority in the procurement of Google Chromebooks for schools.

Prosecutors and the court said the procurement process resulted in state losses of about $125 million. The case concerns a programme to provide digital equipment to schools, particularly in remote and less-developed parts of Indonesia.

The appeals court rejected Makarim’s request to have the conviction overturned. Judge Catur Iriantoro said the original ruling was consistent with the facts established during the trial, evidence presented and witness testimony.

The judges also upheld findings that Makarim had adjusted tender requirements in a way that favoured Chrome technology and restricted competition.

Makarim rejected the outcome and said after the hearing that he would take the case to Indonesia’s Supreme Court. He expressed disappointment with the ruling and questioned its implications for the country’s law-enforcement system.

The former minister’s legal team is therefore expected to continue challenging the conviction through Indonesia’s judicial system.

Makarim’s case has attracted considerable attention because of his background as one of Indonesia’s prominent technology entrepreneurs. He co-founded Gojek, which grew from a motorcycle ride-hailing service into a major Southeast Asian technology company, before leaving the company to join President Joko Widodo’s cabinet as education minister in 2019.

The case centres on procurement decisions made during his time in government between 2020 and 2022. The court’s latest decision leaves the conviction intact while reducing both the prison sentence and financial restitution.

The Indonesian Attorney General’s Office said it would first study the appeals court’s ruling before deciding its next legal step.