Indonesian Police Seek Who Ordered Alleged Wiretapping of Prabowo
Indonesian investigators are seeking to identify who authorized the alleged illegal surveillance of President Prabowo Subianto, in a case that has placed four police generals under suspicion. A special police team will examine the roles of those who may have ordered the operation as well as others involved.
Special team to pursue those behind the operation
National Police Chief General Suyudi Ario Seto has assigned Commissioner General Asep Safrudin, head of the police Criminal Investigation Agency, to lead the special team. Investigators are examining whether people beyond the four named suspects participated in the alleged wiretapping.
"We will investigate everything," Asep said when contacted on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, who heads the Public Information Bureau of the National Police Public Relations Division, announced the team's formation at police headquarters in Jakarta on November 5. He said Suyudi had been following the developments attracting public attention and described the team as a proactive response demonstrating the police leadership's seriousness.
Four suspects and an alleged approval chain
According to DetikNews, the suspects are former National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo; Inspector General Ahrie Sonta, head of the National Police Legal Division; Inspector General Eko Hadi Santoso; and Inspector General Slamet Uliandi.
Bareskrim, the Criminal Investigation Agency, first announced three suspects on November 3, 2026. A fourth was added on November 5. Listyo, Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko were detained at Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters. Slamet was not detained because he was recovering from a stroke.
Police allege that Slamet acted as an adviser to Bareskrim's monitoring center after previously leading its monitoring division from 2010 to 2019. Officers carrying out wiretaps, including Ahrie and Eko, needed his approval, according to police.
Investigators also allege that Ahrie asked Slamet for permission to delete intercepted data in early October 2026 and received his approval.
Surveillance allegations and criminal charges
The alleged surveillance ran throughout 2025-2026 and used the police's Lawful Interception Management System (LIMS), investigators say. They allege that the operation bypassed the mechanisms and procedures required by National Police Chief Regulation (Perkap) No. 5 of 2010.
Police statements describe a target list reaching beyond the president to cabinet officials, politicians, journalists, civil society figures and business executives. Investigators say telephone numbers were intercepted without the required legal process.
The inquiry also concerns an alleged effort to conceal evidence in October 2026. Investigators accuse the suspects of ordering wiretap files erased from LIMS server computers. Police have seized 16 electronic items as evidence: 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four USB flash drives.
The suspects face charges under the Criminal Code and the Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE Law). Article 258 of Law No. 1 of 2023, covering the illegal interception of private electronic transmissions, carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. Article 332 of that law, concerning unlawful access to electronic systems, carries up to six years. The charge under Article 32 of the ITE Law, for altering or destroying electronic information, carries up to eight years.
Dismissal and demands for accountability
Listyo lost his position as Prabowo's presidential chief of staff on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a month after his appointment. The presidential palace characterized the alleged operation as an "act of treason" that endangered state interests.
Former President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, appointed Listyo national police chief in 2021, and Listyo was widely regarded as his ally. Listyo's arrest has brought attention to the relationship between Jokowi and Prabowo, but there is no public evidence connecting Jokowi to the alleged surveillance. He is not implicated in the investigation.
Habiburokhman, chairman of House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III, endorsed a swift, thorough police investigation in a statement on November 7. He urged investigators to establish the motive as well as identify those responsible.
Citing an alleged 6,000 targets, including Prabowo and Commission III's leadership, Habiburokhman called the case a large-scale, serious crime. He said he found it almost inconceivable that an operation of that scope would lack a major political motive.
Under directions from the DPR leadership, Commission III will monitor the investigation until the case is resolved, he said. He called for legal accountability for everyone involved, including those who conducted the wiretapping, assisted it, issued orders or benefited from it.