Indonesia Detains Three Senior Police Officers Over Alleged Wiretapping Of President
Indonesian authorities have detained three senior police officers over allegations that they illegally intercepted the telephone communications of President Prabowo Subianto and several other prominent individuals, including government officials, politicians, journalists and businesspeople.
The country’s National Police Criminal Investigation Agency chief, Asep Safrudin, announced the development on Tuesday, November 3, identifying the suspects by their initials as LSP, ASN and EH.
According to the Associated Press and Channel NewsAsia, the suspects are General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, head of the Presidential Staff Office and a former national police chief; Inspector-General Ahrie Sonta Nasution, who heads the National Police Legal Division; and Inspector-General Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute.
Police alleged that the officers ordered the interception of telephone numbers belonging to the president and other individuals without following legally required procedures or obtaining the necessary authorisation.
The alleged surveillance reportedly affected state officials, political figures, media representatives, leaders of civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and businesspeople.
Safrudin said the intercepted telephone numbers were allegedly entered into the police’s Lawful Interception Management System (LIMS) without the required verification.
Investigators also alleged that files containing intercepted communications were deleted from the system in October 2026 in an attempt to conceal evidence.
The police said they had questioned 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses in connection with the investigation. They also seized 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives.
A fourth individual, identified as SU, is still being questioned as a witness.
The suspects are being investigated over alleged illegal interception, unauthorised access to electronic systems and the deletion or alteration of electronic information. The offences carry maximum prison terms of 10, six and eight years respectively under the provisions cited by investigators.
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said the purpose behind the alleged surveillance remained under investigation.
Meanwhile, Indonesian police officials have maintained that the alleged actions were those of individuals and did not represent an institutional policy of the police force.
Neither President Prabowo nor the three suspects had publicly responded to the allegations in the reports reviewed.
The investigation comes as Listyo, who served as Indonesia’s national police chief for more than five years, currently occupies the influential position of Presidential Staff Office chief.
The suspects have not been convicted, and the allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial determination.
