The Indonesia wiretapping scandal has rocked President Prabowo Subianto’s government within days. Police have arrested three senior police generals over the alleged illegal tapping of the president’s phone. Prabowo then sacked one of them, his own chief of staff. Meanwhile, the military has moved thousands of troops into Jakarta. The affair has also exposed a widening rift between Prabowo and his predecessor, Joko Widodo.
What happened?
On Tuesday, 3 November, the National Police detained three senior generals. They include Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the president’s chief of staff and a former national police chief. The other two are Inspector General Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Inspector General Eko Hadi Santoso. Listyo shares a surname with the president, but the two men have no family ties.
On Wednesday, Prabowo dismissed Listyo and chose Ariyo Windutomo to replace him. On Thursday, police added a fourth suspect, Slamet Uliandi. Investigators say he approved the deletion of earlier wiretap recordings.
What do police allege?
Police allege that the suspects ordered phone taps without proper procedures between 2025 and 2026. The targets included the president, state officials, politicians, journalists, NGO activists and business people.
Investigators say the suspects fed phone numbers into the police’s lawful interception system. However, no investigator had requested these taps. Later, the suspects allegedly ordered the deletion of files and system logs to hide evidence.
A fellow officer reported the suspected misconduct on 30 October. The charges cover illegal interception, unauthorised computer access and the destruction of electronic data. The most serious offence carries up to 10 years in prison. The three generals in custody have not responded publicly.
Why does the government talk of treason?
Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said the conduct pointed towards treason. He warned that it could threaten national interests and the president’s personal safety.
The legal picture looks different, however. Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the senior minister for legal affairs, said police have not charged anyone with treason. He also said the government does not yet know the motive.
Prabowo has ordered police chief Suyudi Ario Seto to take firm action. Suyudi insists the case is “purely law enforcement” and not a political rivalry.
Why are troops on Jakarta’s streets?
Officials say the military is mobilising more than 20,000 troops and personnel for the capital. An internal military document sets out a four-phase plan under the Jakarta Military Command. It puts 13,140 of those personnel on standby at their home bases.
The plan reportedly follows a telegram from armed forces commander General Agus Subiyanto. That telegram carries the date 2 November, a day before police announced the arrests.
Navy spokesperson Tunggul said the troops would help safeguard national security and stability. He also linked the move to upcoming military exercises near Jakarta.
Soldiers on Jakarta’s streets are nothing new, since the military often deploys before anti-government protests. Still, analysts see a deeper message this time. Sana Jaffrey of the Australian National University said the move could signal military-police tension. She pointed to police officers who remain loyal to Listyo. She also warned of the risk of unintended escalation.
How does Joko Widodo fit in?
Widodo, whom Indonesians call Jokowi, made Listyo national police chief in 2021. Many observers regard Listyo as a Widodo loyalist. Prabowo kept him in post after taking office in 2024. Last month, however, Prabowo moved him to the chief of staff role. That reshuffle had already stirred doubts about the Prabowo-Widodo partnership.
Widodo’s support helped Prabowo win the 2024 election as the continuity candidate. Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, became vice-president on the same ticket. On Thursday, Widodo told reporters that he respects the legal process.
What does this mean for Vice-President Gibran?
Pressure on Gibran has grown alongside the scandal. The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court have both ruled on his schooling. They found that his foreign senior high school credentials did not meet domestic legal requirements. The Constitutional Court, however, said it lacked the power to disqualify him.
Now four parties, including three from Prabowo’s coalition, are weighing a parliamentary inquiry into his eligibility. That coalition controls 81 per cent of parliament. Analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi expects the process to end in impeachment.
Why does the scandal matter beyond politics?
The crisis lands at a difficult moment for Prabowo. His approval rating has slipped amid unease over food prices and his troubled free meals scheme. Investors have grown nervous too, after record stock market routs this year.
Rights groups worry about civil liberties. Amnesty International in Indonesia urged authorities to reveal whom the wiretaps targeted. It warned that if the scandal goes unchecked, a secret police force could emerge to tame the opposition.
What happens next?
Police continue their investigation, but officials have not yet disclosed the targets or the motive. Parliament may soon decide whether to open an inquiry into Gibran.
For Indonesians, the central questions remain open. Who ordered the taps, and why? The answers could reshape the balance of power in Jakarta.
