Indonesia names fourth suspect in alleged wiretapping of president

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 17:27 · Archive

Indonesian police have named a fourth suspect in an alleged wiretapping scandal targeting President Prabowo Subianto, deepening a rift with predecessor Joko Widodo.

Indonesian police named a fourth suspect in a scandal involving the alleged wiretapping of President Prabowo Subianto. The suspect, identified as Slamet Uliandi, served as monitoring chief at Indonesia's Criminal Investigation Agency between 2010 and 2019 and headed the agency's information and technology unit from 2021 to 2026. Police said he approved the wiretapping operation. He has not yet been detained due to a health condition.

Three senior police officers were arrested on Tuesday, including Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the president's chief of staff. The suspects are accused of entering phone numbers, including the president's, into the police's electronic surveillance system without following proper procedures such as obtaining an investigation warrant. Authorities discovered the operation last week following a tip-off from a police officer, though they believe the alleged wiretapping stretches back to 2025.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo is widely known as a loyalist of Joko Widodo, Prabowo's predecessor and former ally. His arrest has intensified speculation about a widening rift between the two men. Made Supriatma, a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told BBC Indonesian that Listyo's position was "very close to Jokowi", adding "So now it's practically said that they're going their separate ways".

The case could amount to treason, as it allegedly involved "sensitive information" that could "endanger the interests and sovereignty of the nation", according to a presidential spokesperson. In Indonesia, treason is punishable by life imprisonment or death. The country has not executed anyone in a decade.

Police are still investigating the motives behind the wiretapping attempts and have questioned 13 police officers and five criminal and IT experts. The national police chief formed a special team to investigate the case. The scandal comes as Prabowo faces public discontent over costly populist policies and weakening investor confidence in Indonesia's 1.5 trillion dollar economy. Jakarta remained calm despite the deployment of thousands of troops in the wake of the revelations.

How it is being reported

• What to know about the presidential wiretapping scandal rocking IndonesiaThe scandal involves senior members of President Prabowo Subianto's government, and hint at growing tensions among its elites.BBC World · 6 Nov, 10:10
• Indonesia names fourth wiretapping suspect as political intrigue deepensScandal is driving divisions between President Prabowo Subianto and predecessor Joko Widodo.Al Jazeera · 6 Nov, 07:24
• Prabowo wiretap spills top Indonesia rivalry into publicThe mobilization of thousands of military personnel this week has intensified speculation about a widening rift between Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo.The Japan Times · 6 Nov, 07:04

In this story: Prabowo Subianto · Joko Widodo · Listyo Sigit Prabowo · Slamet Uliandi · Indonesia

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