World

Fourth Wiretapping Suspect Identified Amid Political Rift

By Reuters

Police announced a fourth suspect in the wiretapping scandal involving President Prabowo Subianto. The new suspect, a senior law‑enforcement official known by the initials SU, was named at a news conference on Thursday. Earlier in the week, three officials were arrested. The scandal has deepened the divide between President Prabowo and former President Joko Widodo, raising security concerns.

Investigators say SU served as the monitoring chief at Indonesia’s Criminal Investigation Agency from 2010 to 2019 and headed the agency’s information and technology unit from 2021 to 2026. Local media identified him as Slamet Uliandi. Cybercrime unit director Suhermanto explained that SU approved the wiretapping and the deletion of interception records. SU has not been detained because of a health condition.

The three arrested officers include former national police chief and Prabowo’s chief of staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a known loyalist of Widodo. The case has increased pressure on Prabowo, as public discontent grows over his populist policies and investor confidence in Indonesia’s $1.5 trillion economy weakens.

Police are still probing the motives behind the attempts to intercept Prabowo’s communications. They have questioned 13 police officers and five criminal and IT experts. The national police chief has formed a special team to investigate the case, according to spokesperson Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko.

Jakarta remained calm on Thursday and Friday despite the deployment of thousands of troops, military tents, buses, and a small number of soldiers in the capital. Prabowo took office in 2024 after winning the election in a landslide as the continuity candidate for Widodo. Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was elected as Prabowo’s vice president. Lawmakers are now considering a probe into Raka’s eligibility, which could be the first step toward removing him from office.