Indonesian authorities have taken three senior police generals into custody as part of an expanding inquiry into unauthorized electronic surveillance. Investigators state that the illegal wiretapping operation targeted high-profile individuals, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, alongside politicians, activists, and civic leaders. Police disclosed that the breach involved illicit access to digital communication infrastructure and the deliberate deletion of electronic logs to conceal evidence. Formal investigations remain active while law enforcement works to uncover the underlying motives behind the monitoring.
Suspects Placed in Headquarters Detention Facility
Asep Safrudin, who heads the Criminal Investigation Agency of the National Police, confirmed during an official media briefing that the three suspects are being held under direct custody. Safrudin stated that all three ranking officers have been transferred to the detention center at National Police headquarters in Jakarta. The scope of the inquiry focuses on unlawful communications interception, unauthorized intrusion into secure data platforms, and the targeted removal of digital evidence. At present, no public statements have been issued by President Prabowo Subianto or the detained officials.
Investigators identified the detainees as Presidential Chief of Staff Gen Listyo Sigit Prabowo, alongside Inspector Gen Ahrie Sonta Nasution, who leads the Legal Division of the National Police. The third officer named in the case is Insp Gen Eko Hadi Santoso, an active instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute. A spokesperson representing the Presidential Chief of Staff office could not be reached for comment regarding the detentions.
President, Civic Figures, and Business Leaders Targeted
Speaking at a news conference held late Tuesday at National Police headquarters in Jakarta, Safrudin detailed how the surveillance operation bypassed standard operational protocols. The suspects reportedly conducted nonprocedural and illegal intercepts against telephone numbers belonging to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, prominent state officials, political figures, media personalities, community leaders, nongovernmental organization activists, and business leaders.
Authorities allege that the unauthorized surveillance took place across 2025 and 2026. Investigators stated that the officers commissioned intercepts without observing mandatory procedures outlined in a 2010 National Police regulation. According to Safrudin, numerous telephone numbers were fed into the Lawful Interception Management System, widely known as LIMS, completely circumventing procedural verification. This circumvention effectively neutralized the institutional checks intended to restrict electronic surveillance to authorized judicial inquiries.
Hardware Confiscated and Data Erasure Allegations
During the progression of the inquiry, police examined 10 civilian witnesses alongside three expert witnesses. Technical investigators also impounded multiple digital items to establish an evidentiary trail, securing 11 mobile phones, an iPad, and four flash drives. Forensic specialists anticipate that the analysis of these seized items will demonstrate how interception requests were generated, dispatched, and executed across the technical framework.
Safrudin highlighted that the detained officers recently directed subordinate personnel to erase critical files directly from the LIMS platform. Investigators assert that the deleted digital files contained recordings and transcriptions of intercepted communications. Law enforcement officials determined that the data deletions were deliberately intended to eliminate traces of unauthorized access and suppress incriminating material. While investigators maintain that the probe remains ongoing, they have not publicly disclosed the broader intentions behind the monitoring network.
Charges Filed Under Revised Penal Code and Cyber Statutes
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra addressed the legal ramifications, stating that investigators discovered no indications of treason in the suspects' conduct. Mahendra explained that the three individuals will face prosecution under Article 258 of Indonesia's new Criminal Code, a statute addressing the illegal interception and surveillance of nonpublic electronic communications, which carries penalties of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The suspects also face prosecution under Article 332 of the revised penal code, which specifies a maximum sentence of six years in prison. Furthermore, prosecutors are preparing charges under Article 32 of Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which penalizes the unauthorized alteration, destruction, deletion, transfer, or concealment of electronic data. Authorities confirmed that the criminal investigation is actively proceeding, and officials have yet to disclose the final motive behind the surveillance.
