Indonesian Police Name Fourth Suspect in Alleged Wiretapping of Prabowo
Slamet Uliandi, a former senior cybercrime official, has become the fourth suspect in an alleged surveillance operation targeting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Police accuse him of approving wiretapping activities and allowing intercepted recordings to be deleted.
Alleged approval role
Police announced Slamet's new status on Nov. 5 after previously questioning him as a witness. Investigators had gathered enough preliminary evidence to name him a suspect, said Brig. Gen. Suhermanto, who heads the Cybercrime Directorate of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, known as Bareskrim.
"The status of SU has been upgraded to that of a suspect," Suhermanto told reporters at National Police headquarters in Jakarta.
The three other suspects are former National Police chief and current presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Inspector General Ahrie Sonta and Inspector General Eko Hadi. Bareskrim named Listyo as a suspect on Tuesday. President Prabowo had instructed National Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto to take firm action against the three generals.
Investigators described Slamet as an adviser to Bareskrim's monitoring center who had led its monitoring division from 2010 to 2019. Suhermanto said officers handling surveillance systems and wiretapping, including Ahrie and Eko, needed Slamet's approval for those activities.
According to Suhermanto, Ahrie asked Slamet in early October for permission to erase intercepted data. Slamet allegedly authorized the removal of files containing earlier wiretap recordings.
The other three suspects are being held at Mobile Brigade, or Brimob, headquarters. Slamet remains out of custody because he is recovering from a stroke; Suhermanto said his condition currently prevents his detention.
The alleged surveillance and deleted records
Police place the alleged unauthorized wiretapping in 2025 and 2026, during Listyo's tenure as National Police chief, ABC News reported on Nov. 4. Investigators allege that the suspects ordered interceptions without complying with Chief of Police Regulation No. 5 of 2010.
Bareskrim chief Asep Safrudin said Prabowo was among dozens of prominent people allegedly targeted. The others included officials, political and media figures, community leaders, NGO activists and businesspeople, according to ABC News. Police have not disclosed further details about the targets or established publicly the operation's full scope.
Safrudin said telephone numbers had been added to the Lawful Interception Management System, known as LIMS, without verification. He also alleged that the suspects recently ordered files of intercepted communications erased from the system to hide evidence and remove traces of the operation.
By the Nov. 3 announcement, investigators had interviewed 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses, Safrudin said. Evidence seized included 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives, ABC News reported.
Charges and potential penalties
Slamet faces charges covering unlawful access, interception and deletion of electronic information, Tirto reported on Nov. 5. The access allegations fall under Article 332(1) and/or (2) of Indonesia's Criminal Code, enacted as Law No. 1 of 2023. Paragraph 1 carries a maximum prison term of six years, while paragraph 2 allows up to seven years.
The other provisions are Article 258(1) of the Criminal Code, which carries up to 10 years for unlawfully intercepting non-public electronic communications, and Article 32(1) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which carries up to eight years for deleting electronic information.
Separately, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said investigators had found no indication of treason in the case involving the three active high-ranking police officers, ABC News reported.
Presidential staff dismissal pending
Listyo led the National Police from 2021 until October 2026, when he became chief of presidential staff, according to ABC News. Prabowo is now preparing a presidential decree to dismiss him as head of the Presidential Staff Office, known as KSP, Kompas reported.
Cabinet Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said on Nov. 4 that "the Presidential Decree is currently being processed."
Earlier wiretapping controversy and current inquiry
ABC News also recounted an earlier surveillance controversy involving an Indonesian president. Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that Australian intelligence tried to listen in on then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's mobile phone in 2009. The episode became public in 2013, triggering a diplomatic uproar.
In the current case, National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said the police chief had established a special team under the Bareskrim chief to examine information and issues emerging from the investigation. He pledged transparent public reporting of its findings, Tirto reported.