“Based on the results of our investigation, we have named three suspects,” Criminal Investigation Agency Chief Asep Safrudin told a press conference at National Police headquarters in Jakarta, as reported by Jakarta Globe. The first name on that list was Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the former National Police chief who had served as President Prabowo Subianto’s chief of staff.
The announcement on Tuesday placed a former top security official whose career had tracked Joko Widodo’s rise from mayor of Surakarta to president of Indonesia at the center of an alleged illegal surveillance operation targeting the sitting president, government ministers, journalists, and business leaders. Listyo was replaced as National Police chief on Oct. 1 and named a suspect in the surveillance investigation on Tuesday.
A Career Built Alongside Jokowi’s Rise
Listyo’s ties with Jokowi trace back to 2011, when he took command of the Surakarta Police in Central Java during Jokowi’s tenure as the city’s mayor. Listyo had graduated from the Indonesian Police Academy in 1991 and previously held positions including chief of Pati Police and deputy chief of the Semarang Metropolitan Police.
The relationship deepened in 2014 when Jokowi became president and selected Listyo as his presidential aide, a position he held until 2016. That assignment gave Listyo direct exposure to the presidential institution. In January 2021, Jokowi put forward Listyo as his only choice to succeed retiring National Police chief Idham Azis, choosing him ahead of several higher-ranking generals such as Gatot Eddy Pramono, Boy Rafli Amar, and Agus Andrianto. The House of Representatives’ Commission III unanimously approved the nomination, and Jokowi inaugurated Listyo as police chief on January 27, 2021.
Listyo remained in the position for approximately five years, surviving the transition to Prabowo’s administration in October 2024. When Prabowo took office, Listyo stayed on as police chief before moving to become the president’s chief of staff in October 2026.
Bloomberg > Indonesia’s former national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo and two other top police officials were arrested Tuesday for allegedly illegally wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto and other government officials. Listyo Sigit, who was recently appointed the…
The Wiretapping Allegations
Jakarta Globe reported that Asep Safrudin identified two other suspects alongside Listyo: National Police Legal Division Chief Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Inspector General Eko Hadi Santoso. The three are accused of directing illegal surveillance operations from 2025 to 2026 against the president, state officials, political figures, journalists, civil society leaders, and nongovernmental organizations.
“From 2025 to 2026, the suspects allegedly ordered wiretapping without following the procedures stipulated in Internal Regulation No. 5 of 2010 governing interception activities,” Asep said, according to Jakarta Globe. The suspects allegedly entered phone numbers into the Lawful Interception Management System (LIMS) without proper verification and conducted interception without formal requests from investigators. The surveillance was not connected to legitimate law enforcement investigations.
Investigators also uncovered allegations that one suspect ordered the deletion of intercepted communications files in September 2026, and that the defendants ordered system logs deleted to conceal evidence. An officer who became aware of the suspected misconduct reported it to police on October 30, 2026. Police questioned 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses, seizing 11 mobile phones, an iPad, and four USB flash drives.
Government Assesses Wiretap Oversight Rules
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed that the administration will evaluate existing wiretap safeguards alongside the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs and the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), ANTARA News reported. Although state institutions such as the Corruption Eradication Commission, Attorney General’s Office, National Narcotics Agency, and National Police are legally empowered to carry out court-approved wiretaps, Mahendra stressed that illegal surveillance is a serious crime under the Criminal Code and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law.
The scandal has added pressure to an administration already struggling with market turmoil. The Jakarta Post reported that business groups warn the case threatens investor confidence by exposing corporate secrets and investment strategies. “Businesses need secure information, confidential communications and legal certainty to maintain investor confidence,” Erwin Aksa, deputy chair of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), told the Post. Donna Priadi, managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, said political stability, regulatory certainty, and the rule of law were essential to maintaining that confidence.
What Lies Ahead
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not established the motive behind the alleged surveillance. Listyo’s case has renewed attention on the role of personal trust and professional networks in appointments to Indonesia’s senior security positions, particularly as his major promotions coincided with Jokowi’s rise from mayor to president. With three senior police figures now facing charges of unlawful interception, unauthorized computer access, and destruction of electronic evidence, the government faces pressure to demonstrate that its review of wiretap regulations produces meaningful safeguards rather than mere statements.
⚠️Presidential Wiretapping Scandal Shocks Indonesia: Three people, including the former National Police Chief and current Presidential Chief of Staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, have been detained over alleged illegal wiretapping targeting President Prabowo The surveillance took… https://t.co/lcdLlJsUPR
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