Indonesia Police Chief Testifies in Parliament Over Alleged Wiretapping of President Prabowo

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s national police chief faced questioning Thursday before a parliamentary oversight committee as authorities investigate allegations that President Prabowo Subianto was illegally wiretapped by senior law enforcement officials, including his own chief of staff.

The scandal has shaken the country’s political and security establishment. Three senior police generals have been detained, among them Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was appointed as the president’s chief of staff in October and maintains close ties to former President Joko Widodo. A fourth top police official has since been implicated.

The president’s office has characterized the operation as a potential case of treason. As a precaution, the government deployed 20,000 troops to Jakarta, though most remain on standby in barracks with no visible military presence on the capital’s streets.

A central focus of the investigation is determining who authorized the surveillance. The alleged involvement of officials linked to Widodo — popularly known as Jokowi — has deepened a growing rift between the former president and his successor, according to Evan Laksmana, a Singapore-based analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“The majority of Prabowo’s political decision-making in the past two years has always had some Jokowi overshadowing it,” Laksmana said. “So this is kind of Prabowo finally potentially stepping out of Jokowi’s shadow and maybe even going into open political confrontation.”

National Police Chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto appeared before parliament’s Commission III, which oversees law enforcement and security affairs. The panel is seeking to establish the motive behind the wiretapping and identify any additional participants. Seto assumed the top police post after Listyo Sigit Prabowo was named presidential chief of staff.

“We will see this case through until the facts are fully and clearly revealed,” said Commission III Chairman Habiburokhman, who uses a single name. “Anyone found to be involved must be held legally accountable.”

The allegations extend beyond the president. Cabinet ministers, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders, and business executives may also have been subjected to unauthorized surveillance. Amnesty International has demanded a thorough investigation, warning the operation could have been used to intimidate critics and erode civil liberties.

Anti-government protests have erupted in several major Indonesian cities. Demonstrators have called for accountability in the wiretapping case while criticizing Widodo’s continued political influence and demanding the resignation of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo’s son. On Tuesday, 154 people were detained in Yogyakarta following clashes after a protest by roughly 2,000 students and activists.

In addition to Listyo Sigit Prabowo, authorities have detained National Police Legal Division head Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute — both two-star generals.

Slamet Uliandi, a two-star general who heads the Criminal Investigation Agency’s Information and Communications Technology Division, has been implicated but remains free due to health reasons.

Nasution was dishonorably discharged Tuesday following an internal ethics hearing prompted by the case. Similar proceedings against the three other generals are expected soon, police spokesperson Johnny Eddizon Isir said.

None of the suspects have issued public statements. Nasution’s lawyer, Krisna Murti, said his client would cooperate fully. “Our client will be open to clarifying this case,” Murti said in a video statement.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo previously served as national police chief under Widodo, who has not been implicated in the investigation. The former president has offered limited comment, urging respect for the legal process.

Prabowo, a former military general, lost two presidential races to Widodo before serving as his defense minister. He later campaigned as Widodo’s chosen successor — the former president was term-limited — and selected Widodo’s son as his running mate with Widodo’s backing.

The political turmoil deepened Tuesday when Rakabuming Raka offered to resign amid a separate investigation into his academic credentials, further straining the relationship between the current and former presidents.

“I think this will be a long, and most likely painful, breakup between Jokowi and Prabowo, and I don’t think you can go back to normal after this,” Laksmana said. “And this is going to be a long painful breakup with many political and security ramifications across the country at a time when the country isn’t doing well.”

Police allege the unauthorized wiretapping occurred between 2025 and 2026, after Prabowo took office and while Listyo Sigit Prabowo was still national police chief.

Details of the investigation remain scarce. Last week, police said they uncovered evidence that Nasution — who at one point served as an aide-de-camp to President Prabowo — requested Uliandi’s permission in October to delete recordings of Prabowo’s telephone conversations. Police say Uliandi approved the request and the files were erased.

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