Indonesia arrests ex-police chief Listyo for alleged wiretapping of Prabowo

Former National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo and two other senior officers have been arrested for allegedly wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto as well as other government officials, Indonesian police confirmed on Nov 3.



The suspects are alleged to have conducted unauthorised wiretapping by intercepting the telephone communications of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, state officials, political figures, members of the media, leaders of civil society organisations, NGOs and businesspeople.



Listyo, who served as National Police chief from 2021 to 2026, was named Presidential Chief of Staff on Oct 1. The other two suspects were identified as Ahrie Sonta and Eko Hadi Santoso, both two-star police generals.



The three suspects have been charged under the Criminal Code as well as the Electronic Information and Transactions Law for illegal wiretapping, unauthorised access to another person's computer and unauthorised deletion of electronic information.



The three charges carry a total possible penalty of 24 years’ imprisonment. The suspects are currently being held at the National Police Headquarters’ detention centre in South Jakarta.



At a separate press conference on Nov 3, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Institutions Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that, so far, the investigation had not found any indication the wiretapping was related to an attempt to overthrow the government.