The judicial panel, in its verdict, did not mandate Ibrahim Arief, known as Ibam, to pay restitution in the alleged Chromebook procurement corruption case at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek). This decision comes despite prosecutors previously demanding the former consultant to ex-Minister Nadiem Makarim pay Rp 16.9 billion in compensation.
Notwithstanding this, the court ruled against returning Ibam’s securities of an equivalent value, ensuring those assets remain seized.
Presiding Judge Purwanto S Abdullah, who led the verdict reading today, stated that Ibam was not proven to have enriched himself through the Chromebook procurement. However, Ibam was still found guilty of facilitating the enrichment of officials within Kemendikbudristek and private parties involved in the program.
“The defendant’s (Ibam’s) assets, valued at Rp 16.9 billion, which were previously blocked by the public prosecutor, will remain confiscated. This provides legal grounds for potential money laundering schemes and asset forfeiture,” Purwanto explained at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday, May 12.
Purwanto clarified that the judicial panel concurred with Ibam’s defense counsel regarding the origin of the Rp 16.9 billion wealth. Specifically, the defense argued that these assets originated from shares owned by their client during his employment with PT Bukalapak.com Tbk (BUKA).
Consequently, Purwanto sentenced Ibam to 4 years in prison and a fine of Rp 500 million, with a subsidiary imprisonment of 120 days. This verdict is considerably lighter than the prosecutors’ demands, which included 15 years’ imprisonment and Rp 16.9 billion in restitution, with a subsidiary sentence of 7.5 years.
Previously, Ibam had stated that he did not possess the Rp 16.9 billion currently. He had indeed mentioned this figure once during an examination by a tax expert presented by the public prosecutor, clarifying that the funds represented BUKA shares he held while serving as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the marketplace.
As widely known, Ibam acquired shares valued at Rp 16.9 billion after Bukalapak went public on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) on August 6, 2021. However, Ibam could not immediately access these funds due to an eight-month lock-up period imposed by the Financial Services Authority (OJK).
“That money was not real, especially now that it has been used up for living expenses, legal fees, and healthcare costs,” Ibam stated in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, April 21.
Ibam noted that Bukalapak’s share price plummeted by approximately 70% when the funds became available for withdrawal in April 2022. As a result, Ibam opted to postpone selling his shares at that time.
“I sold all those shares when I lost my job in 2024, and at that point, Bukalapak’s share price had dropped another 60%,” he recounted.
Summary
The judicial panel did not mandate Ibrahim Arief (Ibam) to pay Rp 16.9 billion in restitution in the Chromebook procurement corruption case, despite prosecutors’ demands. However, the court ruled that Ibam’s assets of an equivalent value would remain seized, providing legal grounds for potential money laundering and asset forfeiture. Ibam was found guilty of facilitating the enrichment of officials and private parties, but not of enriching himself.
The seized Rp 16.9 billion assets were identified as shares Ibam owned during his employment with Bukalapak.com Tbk, a point the court acknowledged. Ibam had previously stated these funds, derived from BUKA shares, had significantly depreciated in value and were no longer available for him to access. Consequently, Ibam was sentenced to 4 years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine, a verdict considerably lighter than the prosecutors’ demands.
