Indonesia arrests three for tapping President’s phone

Indonesian police have arrested three people suspected of unlawfully tapping President Prabowo Subianto’s telephone, with the justice minister identifying one of the suspects as a serving general.

Senior detective Asep Safrudin identified the suspects only by their initials, LSP, ASN and EH, during a briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday, November 3. He said investigators were examining allegations that the suspects intercepted the president’s telephone communications and those of other prominent individuals.

The alleged targets also included government officials, politicians, journalists, representatives of non-governmental organisations and businesspeople. According to Asep, the telephone numbers were “tapped without any legal basis or without any investigative or inquiry process in accordance with applicable laws”.

He said a police officer who became aware of the alleged interception submitted a report on Friday, prompting the investigation. Police have since questioned 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses. Investigators also seized 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives as evidence. The suspects could face prison sentences of up to 10 years if convicted.

At a separate news conference, Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the suspect identified as LSP was an active general. Indonesian media reports suggested the initials referred to Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president. However, police did not publicly confirm that identification in the account provided.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo was appointed the president’s chief of staff a month ago after serving as national police chief for five years. He holds the rank of general. The arrests come as President Prabowo, who took office in 2024, faces growing pressure over his government’s management of the economy and destructive wildfires across the Indonesian archipelago.