Indonesian Police Arrest Senior Officers Over Illegal Wiretapping

Indonesian police have arrested three senior police officers, including the newly appointed presidential chief of staff, on suspicion of illegally wiretapping the phone calls of President Prabowo Subianto and other public figures. The arrests occur as the administration faces a decline in approval ratings and an economic crisis marked by capital flight and a weakening local currency.

Chief of the Indonesian Police Criminal Investigation Agency, Asep Sapedi, stated that the suspects are accused of conducting unauthorized wiretaps from 2025 until recently. Targets of the surveillance included government officials, politicians, organization heads, journalists, and businesspeople. According to police, the wiretaps were executed without formal authorization from law enforcement agencies. The suspects, who face computer crimes and wiretapping charges carrying sentences of up to 10 years in prison, also attempted to erase records in the police interception system last month to cover their tracks.

Police withheld the full names of the suspects but released their initials. The government confirmed that the detainees include Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president and who served as the Inspector General of Police until being appointed presidential chief of staff last month.

Indonesian media reported that the other two suspects are the head of the police legal department and another senior officer. Thirteen individuals have been questioned in connection with the case so far. Minister for Legal Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra noted that the president has been briefed on the investigation. He emphasized that no evidence has been found linking the suspects to treason charges and that the motive remains unclear. According to him, the phone surveillance began just two months after the president assumed office.