Indonesia’s Wiretap Scandal: How Could Police Listen In on Their Own President?

A police officer filed a report on October 30. By the following week, Indonesia’s former police chief was in custody, out of his new job at the presidential palace and a suspect in an inquiry into whether police had listened in on the president himself.

Investigators say President Prabowo Subianto’s number was among those entered into the police interception system without the usual verification or a connection to a criminal investigation. They allege the surveillance took place between 2025 and 2026, while Listyo Sigit Prabowo was still in charge of the national police. The two men share a name and are unrelated. The case reaches well beyond the palace. Police say journalists, civil society figures and businesspeople were among the other targets.

How does a phone number get onto a police wiretap list?

Under the Indonesian police regulation investigators cited, it usually starts with a written request. An investigator must identify the case, the number to be monitored, the reason for the tap and how long it should run. The national head of criminal investigations reviews the request and, if it warrants going ahead, seeks permission from the head of the district court where the operation will take place. The rules have a separate route for urgent cases, with safeguards including a sworn statement and a report to the criminal investigations chief within 24 hours.

The police monitoring centre then works with the phone company serving the number to set up the interception. The rules say an operation may produce call recordings, text messages or records of calls. They also require a record of whether the setup succeeded. That gives investigators a distinction to test in this case. A number in the system tells investigators who was selected for surveillance. Evidence of activation and records of what was intercepted would help establish how far it got.

Where do investigators say the checks broke down?

Police allege that numbers went into the Lawful Interception Management System, the platform used to manage wiretaps, without verification. On November 3, they detained Listyo and two other officers, Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso. Police named Slamet Uliandi as the fourth suspect on November 5. Investigators allege he approved interceptions and later agreed to a request to delete files from them. Police said he remained out of detention while recovering from a stroke. They have yet to detail Listyo’s specific actions publicly.

The regulations actually require police to destroy material unrelated to proving a case and to document that destruction. In this investigation, police are examining alleged deletion of evidence. The questions are which files disappeared, why they were deleted and whether other records can show who used the system. Investigators have yet to say publicly which of the president’s conversations, if any, were captured or who heard them.

Is Indonesia treating the case as treason?

The palace has raised the possibility. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said interception of a head of state could put sensitive information and national security at risk. The coordinating law minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said the provisions investigators had invoked concerned alleged unlawful interception and offences involving electronic information. The State Secretariat identified suspected illegal access and deletion of electronic evidence alongside the wiretapping. Yusril later told reporters that other provisions could be invoked as the investigation progressed.

Why does Jokowi’s name keep coming up?

Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, made Listyo national police chief in 2021 and backed Prabowo’s successful 2024 presidential run. Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, became vice-president on the same ticket. Since taking office, Prabowo has removed or reassigned several figures associated with his predecessor. Listyo went from police chief to presidential chief of staff in October. He lasted about a month in the new job.

That history explains why the arrest is being read as a sign of a fraying alliance. It leaves the motive for the alleged operation open. Jokowi said the legal process should be respected, and police chief Suyudi Ario Seto said the investigation was a law-enforcement matter unrelated to rivalries. Separately, lawmakers are considering an inquiry into Gibran’s eligibility for office.

How will police show who was actually listening?

Indonesia’s police chief has formed a special team to investigate. Police are also preparing a separate ethics process for the four suspects. If investigators can recover system records or match them with records held by phone companies, they may be able to establish which numbers were activated, when and under whose authority. Amnesty International Indonesia has called on authorities to disclose who else may have been targeted. For a journalist on the list, finding out whether a tap went live could mean finding out whether a source was exposed.