Three senior Indonesian police officers, including President Prabowo Subianto’s chief of staff, have been arrested on suspicion of illegally tapping the phones of the president, ministers and other prominent figures.
Police did not name the suspects, identifying them only by their initials. However, Reuters confirmed with the government that Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the president’s recently appointed chief of staff, was among those detained.
Listyo, who is not related to the president, served as national police chief before taking up his new position last month. He remains a member of the police force.
The three are accused of illegally intercepting phone communications involving the president, journalists, politicians, business people and others between 2025 and this year.
“They allegedly conducted non-procedural or illegal wiretapping of the phone number of the Indonesian president, state officials, political figures, mass organisation leaders, media, non-governmental organisations and business people,” Asep Safrudin, head of the national police crimes unit, told a press conference late on Tuesday.
Investigation adds to pressure on Prabowo
The investigation is another setback for Prabowo, who is facing declining approval ratings amid public dissatisfaction with his policies.
He is also under pressure to restore investor confidence following heavy stock market selloffs, a weakening currency and warnings that Indonesia’s equity market could be downgraded by index provider MSCI.
Government says no evidence of treason
The president has been informed of the alleged wiretapping, but the government has yet to establish a motive or find evidence linking the suspects to treason, senior legal affairs minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said at a separate press briefing.
“It remains at the early stage of investigation,” he said.
The president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Police identified the suspects as LSP, AHN and EH, and said all three were senior officers. They have questioned 13 people and are investigating whether others were involved.
Local media identified the other two suspects as Ahrie Sonta Nasution, head of the national police legal division, and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior officer at the national police educational institution.
Reuters could not immediately reach the suspects or their lawyers for comment.
The suspects allegedly violated Indonesian laws on illegal interception, unauthorised access to electronic systems and deletion of electronic data. The offences carry maximum prison terms of 10, six and eight years respectively, Asep said.
He said the wiretapping had been ordered without formal requests from investigators or police reports, and was not connected to any law enforcement process.
Several phone numbers had been entered into the Lawful Interception Management System, Asep said, adding that the suspects had ordered the deletion of wiretapping records last month in an attempt to cover their tracks.
