Prabowo Dismisses Chief of Staff as Wiretap Probe Reaches Presidential Inner Circle
Listyo Sigit Prabowo and two senior generals are accused of using a police interception system to monitor officials, journalists and civil-society leaders without authorisation.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto removed his chief of staff on Wednesday after police detained the official and two senior generals on suspicion of running an unauthorized surveillance operation that targeted the president himself, along with cabinet ministers and a wide circle of other public figures.
The decision, announced by presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi, came less than twenty-four hours after the arrests and ended Listyo Sigit Prabowo's tenure in the post after barely a month. Listyo, who is not related to the president, had previously served five years as national police chief before being named to the presidential staff on 1 October. Hadi described the alleged activity as potentially amounting to treason, arguing that intercepting the head of state's communications posed a direct risk to the security of the state and the safety of its leadership.
Police said the three officers used the force's lawful interception management system to monitor telephone lines without proper authorization. The surveillance is alleged to have run through 2025 and into 2026 and to have covered not only the president but also ministers, politicians, journalists, business leaders, and heads of civil-society organizations. Investigators further claim that the suspects deleted system logs in October in an attempt to erase evidence of the activity. An internal report filed late last month triggered the probe; officers have since questioned multiple witnesses and seized phones, tablets, and storage devices.
No public explanation has yet been offered for the motive behind the alleged wiretaps. Senior legal officials have stressed that the case remains under active investigation and that there is currently no indication of a wider conspiracy to overthrow the government. The suspects face possible charges under Indonesia's criminal code and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law. Conviction could carry lengthy prison terms.
The episode is especially striking because of Listyo's recent elevation. After years at the top of the police hierarchy, his move into the presidential staff was widely viewed as a sign of continued trust between the palace and the force. That trust now appears severely strained. The government has appointed an acting chief of staff while the legal process continues and has ordered the police to handle the matter openly and according to the law.
The scandal arrives at a sensitive moment for Prabowo's administration. The president, who took office in 2024, has faced persistent public scrutiny over economic management, wildfire response, and the performance of security institutions. A wiretap case involving the president's own communications and senior police officers risks deepening concerns about accountability inside the state apparatus. It also raises questions about the controls governing the police's powerful interception capabilities and whether those tools have been applied strictly within legal limits.
Observers note that the alleged targets included journalists and civil-society leaders as well as government officials. Such breadth, if confirmed, would suggest the operation extended well beyond any narrow protective or investigative purpose and into broader monitoring of political and public discourse. The palace has so far limited its public comments to the seriousness of the allegations and the need for a full legal process. No further personnel changes have been announced, but the investigation is expected to examine whether additional officers or officials were involved.
For now, the immediate political effect is the sudden vacancy at the top of the presidential staff and a public spotlight on the relationship between the presidency and the national police. How the case proceeds—whether it remains confined to the three detained officers or expands—will shape perceptions of both institutional discipline and the government's willingness to confront potential misconduct within its own security ranks. The arrests and the swift dismissal mark one of the most serious internal security scandals to reach the Indonesian presidency in recent years.