Indonesia Arrests Three For Tapping President’s Phone

Indonesian authorities have arrested three people for allegedly tapping President Prabowo Subianto’s phone, police said Tuesday, with media reports suggesting one of the suspects may be a senior official. Prabowo, who took office in 2024, has come under increasing pressure for his government’s handling of the economy and destructive wildfires in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

Top detective Asep Safrudin identified the suspects only by their initials, LSP, ASN, and EH, and said they were under investigation for allegedly tapping “the telephone number of the President of the Republic of Indonesia” and other prominent figures. The other alleged victims include government officials and politicians, journalists, NGO representatives and businesspeople.

Asep said numbers including Prabowo’s were “tapped without any legal basis or without any investigative or inquiry process in accordance with applicable laws”. A police officer who became aware of the alleged crime filed a report on Friday, Asep told reporters in Jakarta. Since then, police have examined 10 witnesses and three expert witnesses and seized evidence in the form of 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives.

If convicted, the suspects could face up to 10 years in prison. In a separate news conference, Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra identified LSP as an active general. Indonesian media said it was thought to be Listyo Sigit Prabowo — no relation to the president — who was appointed his chief of staff a month ago, after serving as national police chief for five years.

He holds the rank of general. AFP