Nadiem Makarim, defendant in the Chromebook procurement corruption case, requested the court to change his detention status to house arrest during post-surgery recovery. He attended the hearing at the Corruption Court at Central Jakarta District Court on May 4, 2026, despite having an IV attached and being under hospital care. Chief Judge Purwanto Abdullah said they would assess his condition first.
During the witness examination hearing at the Corruption Court at Central Jakarta District Court on Monday, May 4, 2026, Nadiem Makarim appeared with an IV still attached to his hand. The former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology was under hospital care preparing for surgery soon, though his doctor did not recommend leaving.
"Only until I recover, after recovery I am ready to return to detention status in the detention center, no problem. This is just so I can recover," Nadiem said. He added, "Even though the doctor did not recommend me to go out, but because of the court needs and I am not allowed to attend via Zoom, so I am here to ensure the trial process is not delayed."
Nadiem's lawyer, Zaid Mushafi, stressed the need for changing detention status due to the need for a sterile environment post-surgery. "That way, future court agendas will not be disrupted and hindered by this health process," Zaid said.
Chief Judge Purwanto Abdullah responded that the panel would review Nadiem's condition after surgery before deciding. "If the defendant's condition allows completing examinations on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we will finish. Then after that, the judges will decide what to do next," he stated. The judge also clarified that if detention is suspended, examinations will not proceed even via Zoom.
The case involves alleged corruption in procuring Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) at the Ministry of Education from 2019-2022, causing Rp2.18 trillion state losses. Nadiem is charged alongside Ibrahim Arief alias Ibam, Mulyatsyah, Sri Wahyuningsih, and fugitive Jurist Tan. Previously, hearings were postponed twice due to Nadiem's illness, with detention suspended from April 25 to May 3, 2026.
