Under the radar

Indonesia’s president sacks his chief of staff over an alleged police wiretap case

Three senior officers were detained over alleged illegal taps; officials disagree on treason.

4 Nov 2026, 08:08 · All sides · Written by Grok

12 sources · 5 countries🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇯🇵 🇭🇰 🇺🇸

Indonesia’s president sacks his chief of staff over an alleged police wiretap case — The Straits Times (independent)

Key Facts

On 4 November 2026, President Prabowo Subianto sacked his chief of staff, former National Police Chief Gen.
Listyo Sigit Prabowo — no relation to the president — after Listyo and two other senior officers were detained as suspects in an alleged illegal wiretapping case.
Investigators say they used the police interception system without the required legal authority and later deleted logs. The palace says the conduct may tend toward treason; the coordinating minister for law says there is no such indication and that the charges are only for illegal interception.

How the views differ

State media, independent media and top voices on X

Rogue officers tapping the president may already be tending toward treason.

Palace security warning

Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi has treated the alleged interception as more than a broken procedure inside the police.

In this account, people who held the state’s listening tools used them on the president and other officials without authority, and that can put the state’s interests and the leader’s safety at risk.

Dismissal, and saying so in public, is the response that matches that risk.

reuters.com (Ind.)
channelnewsasia.com (Ind.)
straitstimes.com (Ind.)
scmp.com (Ind.)
bloomberg.com (Ind.)
asia.nikkei.com (Ind.)

This is illegal wiretapping only, and nothing so far shows treason.

Legal-process reading inside government

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has drawn a hard line between a surveillance crime and an attack on the state.

In this account, the officers face charges for illegal interception, the investigation is still early, and no one has shown a plot against the government.

Calling it treason now would run ahead of both the charge sheet and the unknown motive.

en.antaranews.com (Ind.)
go.kompas.com (Ind.)
thejakartapost.com (Ind.)
channelnewsasia.com (Ind.)
malaymail.com (Ind.)

Top voices on XPosts on the story, counted in the sources

Both views — @pikiran_rakyat: “Menteri Koordinator Bidang Hukum, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, menyatakan bahwa tindakan penyadapan ilegal terhadap presiden tidak terindikasi makar… Di sisi lain, Menteri Sekretaris Negara, Prasetyo Hadi…”

Most likely true

The sacking and the detentions are solid. Several independent outlets, including Reuters, The Straits Times, Nikkei Asia, and Bloomberg, report that on 4 November 2026 President Prabowo removed Listyo after Listyo, Ahrie Sonta Nasution, and Eko Hadi Santoso were named suspects and held at police headquarters, and that Ariyo Windutomo was named acting chief of staff. Seizure of phones, an iPad, and flash drives is also reported.

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Coverage

12 sources · 5 countries

State-funded 5
Independent 7

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Methodology

How the views differ

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