Indonesian president’s chief of staff dismissed over alleged wiretapping

The Indonesian president’s chief of staff has been fired for what the government says could be “treason” after he allegedly wiretapped phones with the help of two other serving police officers.

President Prabowo Subianto dismissed Listyo Sigit Prabowo on Wednesday, a day after police announced his arrest over allegations that he had illegally wiretapped phones belonging to several high-profile individuals, including the president and cabinet ministers.

Two other senior police officers were also arrested, including Ahrie Sonta Nasution, head of the legal division of the Indonesian National Police, according to local media.

“This was, of course, carried out by certain rogue individuals, and we are also of ‌the view that what was done may already fall into a category that can be considered an act tending towards treason,” presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said on Wednesday.

“It also tends towards acts that endanger state interests and the safety of the nation’s leadership, including the safety of the head of state,” he said.

The unauthorised wiretapping allegedly took place from last year to this year while Listyo was serving as chief of the National Police, a position he held for five years before becoming the president’s chief of staff last month.

The suspects are also accused of trying to conceal their actions by ordering the deletion of files containing intercepted communications last month.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia’s senior minister for legal affairs, said the motive behind the alleged wiretapping has not yet been determined.

The operation was conducted “without any legal basis or without any investigative or inquiry process in accordance with applicable laws”, according to Asep Safrudin, the top detective in the National Police.

Also on Wednesday, the Indonesian military deployed more than 20,000 soldiers in the capital, Jakarta. It did not say whether the deployment was linked to the arrests.

Indonesian armed forces spokesperson Major-General Muhammad Nas said the troop movement was standard procedure for maintaining national security and territorial integrity.

“Troop deployments are a normal occurrence,” Nas said, adding that the military “must always be prepared to protect the entire nation and safeguard the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia”.