Indonesian police have detained three senior police generals suspected of illegally wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto and dozens of other prominent figures. The suspects are identified as Presidential Chief of Staff Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, National Police Legal Division head Insp. Gen. Ahrie Sonta Nasution, and Insp. Gen. Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute. All three are being held at the National Police headquarters detention center.
Asep Safrudin, head of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency, said the officers are under investigation for illegal interception of communications, unauthorized access to electronic systems, and deletion of electronic data. “The suspects are alleged to have carried out non‑procedural or illegal tapping against the telephone numbers of the president of the Republic of Indonesia, state officials, political figures, media figures, community leaders, NGO activists and businesspeople,” Safrudin told a news conference in Jakarta late Tuesday.
Police have questioned 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses, seizing 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives as evidence. The unauthorized wiretapping reportedly occurred between 2025 and 2026—when Listyo served as National Police chief. The suspects allegedly bypassed a 2010 National Police regulation by entering phone numbers into the Lawful Interception Management System (LIMS) without verification. They also ordered the deletion of files containing intercepted communications from the LIMS computer system, reportedly to conceal evidence.
Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the alleged surveillance, stating that the inquiry remains ongoing. Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said no indication of treason has been found in the case involving the three active high‑ranking officers. “When it comes to matters like this … imagine if a president were intercepted or wiretapped, or if government ministers were under surveillance, and we do not know why the wiretapping was carried out. This is not a minor issue, it is a serious matter for any country,” Mahendra said at a separate news conference.
The suspects face charges under Article 258 of Indonesia’s new Criminal Code, which prohibits unlawful interception, recording, diversion, alteration, obstruction or monitoring of non‑public electronic communications and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment. They also may be charged under Article 332 of the Criminal Code (maximum six years) and Article 32 of Indonesia’s Electronic Information and Transactions Law (up to eight years for unauthorized alteration, destruction, deletion, transfer or concealment of electronic information). Neither President Prabowo nor the three suspects have responded publicly to the allegations.