Indonesia's president dismisses chief of staff over wiretapping allegations

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Indonesia's presidential chief of staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, was arrested on Nov. 3, 2026, accused of running unauthorized wiretaps on the president's phone and those of ministers, journalists and business figures. The next morning, President Prabowo Subianto signed a decree removing him.

Investigators say the taps ran through the police's own interception system, with phone numbers entered without warrants or case files. The case puts a former national police chief, once a Joko Widodo loyalist, on the wrong side of a president whose alliance with Jokowi is under strain.

Why it matters

If a police chief can tap the president's phone without a warrant, Indonesia's surveillance safeguards are weaker than its laws claim.

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Key Indicators

Suspects named

Listyo Sigit Prabowo and two police inspectors general.

Mobile phones seized

Evidence collected along with an iPad and four flash drives.

Witnesses questioned

Investigators also questioned three expert witnesses.

2025–2026

Alleged wiretap period

Investigators say the taps began when Listyo led the national police.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Prabowo Subianto

President of Indonesia

In office; ordered firm action in the wiretapping case

Listyo Sigit Prabowo

Former presidential chief of staff and national police chief

Arrested and dismissed; named a suspect

Ariyo Windutomo

Acting presidential chief of staff

In office

Prasetyo Hadi

Minister of State Secretariat

In office

Asep Safrudin

Head of the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency

In office; leading the investigation

Ahrie Sonta

Head of the police legal division

Named suspect; denies tapping the palace

Eko Hadi

Police executive instructor at the Police Leadership School

Named suspect

Joko Widodo

Former president of Indonesia

Out of office; alliance with Prabowo under strain

Organizations Involved

Presidential Staff Office (KSP)

Presidential office

Listyo dismissed; Ariyo serving as acting head

The office that supports the president's day-to-day staff work.

Indonesian National Police (Polri)

National police force

Three officers named suspects; internal probe ongoing

The national police force whose interception system was allegedly misused.

State Secretariat

Government ministry

Announced the dismissal

The ministry that handles presidential administration and announced the dismissal.

Timeline

2025 November 2026

5 events Latest: 3 days ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Prabowo dismisses Listyo
Latest Statement

Prabowo signs a decree removing Listyo and names Ariyo Windutomo acting chief of staff.
3 days ago
Three police generals named suspects
Legal

Bareskrim names Listyo, Ahrie Sonta and Eko Hadi suspects in illegal wiretapping and evidence deletion.
4 days ago
October 2026
Officer reports system abuse
Investigation

A police officer who noticed irregularities reported them to internal authorities.
October 30th, 2026
Wiretap logs allegedly deleted
Investigation

Suspects allegedly ordered personnel to erase target files from the interception server.
October 2026
2025
Alleged wiretapping begins
Investigation

Investigators say phone numbers were entered into the police interception system without warrants, starting when Listyo led the national police.
2025

Scenarios

Prosecutors charge Listyo with treason

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi and coordinating law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra

Government ministers have said the alleged surveillance of the president could amount to treason because it endangered state interests. If prosecutors adopt that framing, the case moves from illegal wiretapping to a national security offense with far heavier penalties.

Case stays a wiretapping prosecution

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto and Bareskrim investigators

Police have framed the probe as ordinary law enforcement: unauthorized entry of numbers into the interception system, deletion of logs and illegal access. Under this path, the three officers face charges tied to surveillance rules, not treason, and the political dimension stays in the background.

Probe expands toward Jokowi-era officials

Uncertain Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: BBC and South China Morning Post, citing the fracturing Prabowo-Jokowi alliance

The wiretapping began while Listyo led the police under Jokowi, and the case is already being read as a test of the alliance that put Prabowo in office. If investigators follow the chain of orders upward, the probe could reach figures close to the former president and turn a surveillance case into a coalition fight.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2014

Wiretapping devices found at Jokowi's residence (2014)

Several wiretapping devices were discovered at the official residence of Joko Widodo when he was governor of Jakarta, before he became president.

Then

The discovery fed suspicions about surveillance of political figures in Indonesia.

Now

It became an early reference point for later wiretapping claims involving the country's leaders.

Why this matters now

The current case is not Indonesia's first wiretapping scandal, and past episodes have rarely produced clear public answers about who ordered the surveillance.

2024