Gojek founder Nadiem Makarin has been sentenced to prison for corruption in Indonesia

The founder of the super-app Gojek who became the Minister of Education in Indonesia has been sentenced to several years in prison for corruption.

Nadiem Makarim, 41, was found guilty of fraud in the agreement for the purchase of a school laptop while he was ruling the government to enrich himself. He denied the crime.

He received a 10-year prison sentence, but is facing more time in prison because he can’t pay.

Nadiem left Gojek in 2019 to join the government of former president Joko Widodo, and served as education minister until 2024. Critics of Indonesian authorities say the charges against him were based on scant evidence and that he was the victim of a government campaign targeting political opponents.

In addition to being sentenced to 10 years in prison, Nadiem was ordered to pay restitution of 809 billion rupiah ($45m, £34m) – the money he was found guilty of enriching himself with – or serve another five years.

Nadiem said that since he could not pay the money, he was sentenced to 15 years.

He also faces a 1 billion rupiah fine which, if not paid, will serve another 190 days in jail.

The case centers on the education ministry’s purchase of Chromebook laptops for Indonesian schools from 2021 to 2022.

Prosecutors allege that the Chromebooks were purchased despite the department ruling in 2018 that the computers required an internet connection for use, making them unsuitable for remote areas of Indonesia where internet connectivity is difficult.

The service continued to make purchases after Nadiem met with Google representatives in 2020, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege that Nadiem favored Google – a Gojek investor – at the time of the purchase, saying he created the tender specifications for the Chrome program “to make Google the sole administrator of the education ecosystem in Indonesia”.

They said Nadiem’s ​​action violates the government’s promises to fight corruption and harm education. He is accused of causing $125m in government losses while enriching himself.

Nadiem denied the charges, saying that the 809bn rupiah in question was always in Gojek’s accounts and he had never personally touched the money.

He also denied that Google’s investment in Gojek was linked to procurement, and said the department’s choice to buy Chromebooks resulted in reduced government spending.

Earlier on Tuesday before the trial started, a number of supporters including Gojek drivers flocked to the court in Jakarta. They were holding white banners with the words “We are with Nadiem” and “Free Nadiem”.

When Nadiem arrived at the court, he shook hands and greeted the fans, and was overwhelmed when the Gojek driver hugged him.

“It’s been difficult for about 10 months. As a family, we’ve continued to pray, fight, and stand by him all this time,” Nadiem’s ​​mother-in-law, Sania Makki, told BBC News.

During the hearing, a number of fans – including drivers wearing Gojek jackets – were sitting in a room nearby where the live music was being played.

When the judge handed down the verdict and sentence, Nadiem was visibly upset and started to cry, while the fans outside the court cried loudly.

In a brief speech to the media after the decision, Nadiem said he will forward his request.

“I don’t know what words I can use to describe how I feel today,” he said.

“I don’t know who I should ask for help, and where I can seek justice. My hope is in the people of Indonesia, in those who still believe that the truth still exists in this country.”