Three generals have been detained in Indonesia on suspicion of organising illegal wiretapping of President Prabowo Subianto. Among them is former National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo. The case raises questions about oversight of one of the country’s most influential institutions.
The detentions were carried out by the criminal police on 3 November. According to the allegations, the alleged wiretapping was conducted in 2025 and 2026, with the phone numbers of targeted individuals entered into the police system for managing communications interception without the required judicial procedure. In addition to the president, representatives of civil society organisations and activists may also have been monitored.
Versions of a political conspiracy
The Indonesian government quickly raised the possibility that a conspiracy against the state was behind the case. “Media Indonesia” links the affair to interests that may be seeking to destabilise the authorities by controlling information.
The political trail most frequently discussed leads to the camp of former President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi. His ties with Listyo Sigit Prabowo date back to the time when the general headed the police in Solo and Widodo was the city’s mayor. In 2021, already serving as president, Joko Widodo appointed him head of the National Police.
The case erupted about a month after Prabowo Subianto appointed Listyo Sigit Prabowo as chief of the presidential staff. This fact has further fuelled speculation about rivalry between the current head of state and the political camp of his predecessor. There is no confirmation that Joko Widodo is involved in the investigation.
The scandal goes beyond wiretapping
Other analysts view the affair as an attempt to divert public attention from forest fires, economic difficulties and accusations of backsliding on democratic standards. The investigative website “DetikX” has dubbed the case “Listyogate”, while “Kompas” has called for caution and warned that the political conspiracy theory may be too easy an explanation for a more complex problem.
If guilt is proven, this is not merely a procedural violation. “Kompas” describes the case as “an abuse of state resources by those who are supposed to ensure that they are used in accordance with the law”.
The affair has also revived the broader question of the development of the Indonesian police after its separation from the army in 1998, following the fall of dictator Suharto. At the time, the goal was to create a professional police force. According to the “Jakarta Post”, however, the institution has become a highly centralised structure that is accountable to virtually no one.
The publication is calling for a reduction in the concentration of power and genuine accountability of the police to civilian institutions. The stakes go beyond the president’s security and concern trust in the justice system and the protection of citizens, journalists, human rights defenders and critical voices.