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View all search resultsTech consultant gets four years in prison in Chromebook graft case
The judges argued that Ibrahim Arief had gone beyond the role of a neutral consultant, noting that while he had previously identified technical limitations in Chromebook devices, he later supported their adoption in discussions and presentations with the government’s representatives.
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Technology consultant and graft defendant Ibrahim Arief (left) walks with his lawyer after the verdict hearing against him at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta on May 12, 2026. The judges sentenced him to four years in prison after finding him guilty of jointly committing corruption with other defendants in the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops for schoolchildren. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga )
T
he Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced technology consultant Ibrahim Arief to four years in prison in a graft case pertaining to the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops for schoolchildren at the then-education, culture, research and technology ministry.
At the hearing on Tuesday, the panel of judges acquitted Ibrahim of the primary charges brought by prosecutors that the defendant allegedly received kickbacks or financial benefits from the multitrillion rupiah Chromebook laptop procurement between 2020 and 2022, when the ministry was led by then-education minister Nadiem Makarim.
However, the bench found the defendant, in his role as a consultant, contributed to actions that resulted in state losses while benefiting multiple parties, including individuals and corporations, in violation of the 2001 Corruption Law.
“[The judges] declare that the defendant [...] is legally and convincingly proven to have committed the criminal act of corruption jointly [with other individuals] as charged in the subsidiary indictment,” Judge Purwanto Abdullah said.
Aside from the four-year prison sentence, the court also ordered him to pay a Rp 500 million (US$28,544) fine, or serve an extra 120 days’ imprisonment in default
The laptop procurement was part of the ministry’s “digitalization of schools” policy to equip remote schools with digital devices and infrastructure. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) suspected corruption engaged in by Nadiem, Ibrahim and other defendants in the project caused Rp 2.18 trillion in state losses.
The judges argued that Ibrahim had gone beyond the role of a neutral consultant, noting that while he had previously identified technical limitations in Chromebook devices, he later supported their adoption in discussions and presentations with the government’s representatives.
