Prabowo sacks chief of staff over alleged wiretapping, palace says case may amount to treason

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday (4 November) formally dismissed Chief of Presidential Staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is suspected of illegally wiretapping the president and senior political figures. The presidential palace said the serious acts targeting the head of state were “being considered as leading to treason”. This means Listyo could face execution by firing squad if convicted. He had served as Chief of Presidential Staff.

The former National Police chief and two senior police officers are suspected of illegally wiretapping Prabowo Subianto and senior government officials without authorisation. Police formally named them as suspects and detained them on Tuesday (3 November).

Indonesia’s Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told a press conference on Wednesday that the serious acts of illegal surveillance endangered the head of state’s personal safety and national interests, and could amount to treason. Under Indonesia's criminal code, the maximum penalty for treason against the president is death by firing squad.

Prasetyo Hadi said President Prabowo had expressed “profound concern” over the case. Referring to current National Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto, he said: “The President has given instructions to the Police Chief to carry out the process as well as possible in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, as objectively as possible with nothing covered up.” Prasetyo Hadi also said the government had urgently appointed Chief of Presidential Secretariat Ariyo Windutomo as acting Chief of Presidential Staff.

The full extent of Listyo’s surveillance operation and its motives remain unclear. Police have not disclosed what communications were intercepted or to whom they might have been sent.

According to the Jakarta Globe, Coordinating Minister for Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra vowed on Tuesday evening to investigate the case thoroughly and spare no one who had orchestrated the operation behind the scenes. He said the suspects had not been charged with treason, but that unauthorised surveillance was itself a criminal offence.

Yusril stressed that the scandal had exposed a systemic lack of checks and balances on Indonesian state agencies’ wiretapping powers. He called for a comprehensive review of the existing legal framework granting state institutions the authority to intercept communications. Several Indonesian agencies, including the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Attorney General's Office and National Police, are currently authorised to conduct surveillance under specific circumstances. However, Yusril stressed that these powers must be exercised within the law and serve legitimate institutional objectives.

Listyo was appointed National Police chief in 2021 under then-president Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi. Investigations indicate that Listyo and the two other suspects allegedly ordered surveillance without legal authorisation between 2025 and 2026, targeting Prabowo, senior government officials, political party figures, journalists, civil society leaders and representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Listyo was removed as National Police chief on 1 October this year and subsequently appointed Chief of Presidential Staff.

Yanuar Nugroho, a visiting senior fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, told Reuters that the position of Chief of Presidential Staff had diminished in stature under Prabowo. Appointing Listyo to the role may have been a way to move him out of the key post of National Police chief.

Yanuar said Prabowo needed a police chief he could trust, and Listyo, who was seen as a Jokowi loyalist, was not the right person.

Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told Bloomberg, “I think this will heighten tensions between Jokowi and Prabowo.” He said the wiretapping scandal could trigger wider political instability with consequences for the economy.

He also said, “The allegations represent a serious breach of the police’s longstanding ethos of loyalty to the president.” He warned that a political settlement without full legal accountability would set a bad precedent.