What to know about the presidential wiretapping scandal rocking Indonesia

Wiretapping is the secret interception of phone calls or other communications. In this case, authorities say the alleged surveillance was unauthorized because officials used a police electronic surveillance system without following required legal procedures. The allegation matters because the president was reportedly among the people monitored, raising concerns about state power and national security.

Investigators say officials entered phone numbers, including Prabowo's, into the police system. They allegedly did so without an investigation warrant or a case report. The system allows authorities to intercept communications. The alleged operation was discovered after a police officer provided a tip-off last week.

Authorities believe the surveillance may have started in 2025, when Listyo Sigit Prabowo was national police chief. The motive remains unclear. Officials say the alleged interception involved sensitive information that could endanger national interests and sovereignty, which is why they are investigating possible treason.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo, President Prabowo's chief of staff, was arrested with two senior police officers. Authorities later named Slamet Uliandi, from the national police criminal investigation unit, as a fourth suspect. Uliandi was not detained because he was reportedly in poor health after suffering a stroke.

The suspects are accused of entering phone numbers into the police's official electronic surveillance system. The numbers allegedly included President Prabowo's. Authorities say the entries were made without proper procedures, including an investigation warrant or case report. Those actions form the basis of the spying allegations.

The alleged surveillance extended beyond the president. Authorities said other targets included politicians, journalists, representatives of nongovernmental organizations and businesspeople. The police chief said the investigation was purely law enforcement, while the scandal has also intensified political tensions around Prabowo and former president Jokowi.

The operation appears broad in both duration and reach. Authorities believe it stretched back to 2025, when Listyo Sigit Prabowo served as national police chief. They say it was uncovered only last week, after a police officer gave investigators a tip. The article does not state how many conversations were intercepted.

Four people were connected to the case by Thursday evening. Listyo and two senior police officers were arrested on Tuesday. Slamet Uliandi was named later but not detained because of ill health following a stroke. Investigators say the suspects used the police's official electronic surveillance system.

The reported targets included President Prabowo, other politicians, journalists, NGO representatives and businesspeople. Authorities say phone numbers were entered without proper legal procedures. The motive remains unclear, and the inquiry is continuing as officials assess whether the alleged conduct involved treason.

Indonesia's authorities are considering treason because the alleged surveillance involved the president and potentially sensitive state information. A spokesperson said such information could endanger the nation's interests and sovereignty. That makes the case more serious than an ordinary breach of privacy or police procedure.

The alleged actions involved entering phone numbers, including Prabowo's, into an official police interception system. Investigators say this happened without an investigation warrant or case report. If communications connected to the president were accessed outside lawful controls, officials could have obtained information affecting government decisions or national security.

The motive has not been established. Indonesia's police chief said the inquiry was purely law enforcement and unrelated to rivalries. Still, authorities are investigating possible treason, while the arrests have deepened attention on political tensions between Prabowo and former president Jokowi.

The most severe possible consequence is punishment for treason. In Indonesia, treason can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty. The article notes that Indonesia has not executed anyone in a decade, but the legal maximum remains extremely severe. The suspects' eventual consequences will depend on the investigation and any court proceedings.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo was arrested on Tuesday with two senior police officers. Authorities accuse them of entering phone numbers, including Prabowo's, into the police surveillance system without required procedures. A fourth suspect, Slamet Uliandi, was named later but was not detained because of ill health after a stroke.

Listyo's government position ended quickly. He had been appointed president's chief of staff only the previous month, but he was dismissed shortly after his arrest. The article does not state whether charges have been proven or what penalties individual suspects will ultimately face.

Prabowo and Jokowi once formed a powerful alliance. Jokowi supported Prabowo's 2024 presidential campaign, and Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, became vice president. The article describes that alliance as increasingly fractured, though neither man has formally confirmed a rift.

The alleged surveillance case touches that political divide because Listyo rose to lead the police under Jokowi and is seen as one of his longtime allies. Listyo's arrest and dismissal therefore carry significance beyond the legal allegations. Analysts also connect him closely to Jokowi through his position in the former president's administration.

Other tensions have accumulated. Prabowo has focused on free school meals rather than Jokowi's Nusantara capital project, and he has moved several Jokowi allies into new roles. Gibran also faces questions about his high school credentials. Jokowi responded by urging respect for the legal process.

Warrants and case reports matter because they document why surveillance is being used and connect it to a specific investigation. They create a formal checkpoint before police can access private communications. In this case, authorities say the alleged interception bypassed those safeguards, which is why the conduct is being treated as a serious legal issue.

The suspected officials allegedly entered phone numbers, including President Prabowo's, into the police's official electronic surveillance system. That system allows authorities to intercept communications. Investigators say no investigation warrant or case report was obtained, so the alleged action lacked the procedures normally required for lawful interception.

These safeguards limit state power by making surveillance reviewable rather than secret and unrestricted. They can help identify who authorized monitoring and why. The article does not detail Indonesia's approval process, but it shows the consequences of bypassing it: arrests, Listyo's dismissal and a possible treason investigation.