Another suspect named as wiretap scandal rocks Indonesia

Jakarta: Indonesian authorities have named another suspect as they continue to investigate allegations that top security officers had been involved in intercepting President Prabowo Subianto’s telephone conversations.

Three senior generals have already been detained in the wiretapping scandal, including General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was last month named Subianto’s chief of staff.

Listyo previously served as national police chief under former president Joko Widodo, who has not been implicated in the wiretapping investigation. Allegations have also surfaced that cabinet officials, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and business executives were also subjected to unauthorised surveillance.

The Criminal Investigation Agency, known as Bareskrim, named Slamet Uliandi, who heads the agency’s Information and Communications Technology Division, as the fourth suspect.

Uliandi served as a supervisory board member of the Monitoring Centre, a wiretapping unit, and allegedly approved a request in early October by another suspect to delete wiretap records to conceal evidence and erase traces of the operation, Suhermanto, director of cybercrime at Bareskrim, said.

Uliandi was not detained because he is recovering from a stroke, said Suhermanto, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.

‘The motive behind the alleged wiretapping operation must be fully uncovered.’

General Oegroseno, former deputy national police chief

Police alleged the unauthorised wiretapping took place between 2025 and 2026, after Prabowo took office and while Listyo was still national police chief.

The National Police Legal Division head, Sonta Nasution, and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute, were also detained.

After losing two presidential races to Widodo, Prabowo aligned himself with the popular leader and campaigned as his successor, choosing Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate in a move that fuelled concerns about a growing political dynasty in Indonesia’s young democracy.

Widodo and Prabowo were once close political allies, with Widodo backing Prabowo’s successful 2024 presidential bid, but their relationship has come under increased scrutiny amid signs of a growing rift since Prabowo took office.

Calls to investigate Widodo

Retired police General Oegroseno, a former deputy national police chief, told the Forum Keadilan TV podcast on Wednesday that investigators should examine all possible lines of command behind the wiretapping, including whether any directives originated from Widodo.

“Investigators should not hesitate to question a former president if necessary,” Oegroseno said.

“The motive behind the alleged wiretapping operation must be fully uncovered under the leadership of the current police chief.”

The wiretapping operation could also constitute a serious human rights violation and could be used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties, said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International’s executive director in Indonesia.

“This is not merely about the alleged wiretapping of the president,” Hamid said in a statement. “Authorities must disclose who else may have been targeted and investigate the full impact of the operation.”

Troops on the street

Authorities have sent more than 20,000 troops to Jakarta, and on Thursday said 6770 police and military personnel had been deployed to secure a court hearing where Widodo was called to testify in a defamation trial.

The trial stems from allegations that Widodo used a fake university diploma, and is unrelated to the wiretapping case. Widodo has denied the diploma allegations.

Widodo, however, offered a brief response to the investigation into the wiretapping allegations and the alleged involvement of his former police chief and close ally, Listyo.

“We should all respect the ongoing legal process; let’s wait for the (investigation) outcome,” Widodo told reporters after attending a court hearing.

AP

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