Indonesia names fourth suspect in Prabowo wiretapping scandal
Police identified senior official Slamet Uliandi as the fourth suspect in a wiretapping case that deepens political rifts between President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo.
At a glance
- Indonesia named senior official Slamet Uliandi as the fourth suspect in the Prabowo wiretapping scandal.
- Three senior police officers, including Listyo Sigit Prabowo, were arrested earlier this week.
- Lawmakers are weighing a probe into Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s eligibility, a potential step toward his removal.
Indonesia on Thursday named senior official Slamet Uliandi as the fourth suspect in a wiretapping scandal that involves President Prabowo Subianto, deepening political tensions with former president Joko Widodo.
Police said Uliandi, who served as monitoring chief at Indonesia’s Criminal Investigation Agency from 2010 to 2019 and led the information and technology unit from 2021 to 2026, gave the go‑ahead for the wiretaps. Cybercrime unit director Suhermanto told reporters that the other two suspects received his approval before the interception and before deleting the recorded data, and that Uliandi remains free because of a health condition.
Three senior police officers were arrested on Tuesday, including Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the former national police chief and chief of staff to President Prabowo, who is widely seen as a loyalist of Joko Widodo. The arrests followed earlier detentions of two other officials and have intensified scrutiny of the case.
The scandal has heightened political intrigue as President Prabowo, elected in 2024 as Widodo’s continuity candidate, faces growing public discontent over his costly populist policies and weakening investor confidence in Indonesia’s $1.5 trillion economy. Security agencies are concerned that the attempted wiretaps could undermine stability.
Police have questioned 13 police officers and five criminal and IT experts, and the national police chief has set up a special investigation team led by spokesperson Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko. Despite the revelations, Jakarta remained calm, with thousands of troops deployed, military tents and buses visible in the capital.
Legislators are now considering a parliamentary probe into Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s eligibility, a move that could become the first step toward his removal from office. The developments underscore how the wiretapping case is entangling the country’s top political figures.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Who is the fourth suspect named by Indonesian police?
- The fourth suspect is senior official Slamet Uliandi, former monitoring chief of the Criminal Investigation Agency and head of its IT unit from 2021 to 2026.
- Why were three senior police officers, including Listyo Sigit Prabowo, arrested?
- They were arrested for alleged involvement in the wiretapping of President Prabowo Subianto, with police saying they obtained approval from the fourth suspect.
- What political tensions does the scandal reveal?
- The case deepens the rift between President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko Widodo, raising security concerns and prompting lawmakers to consider a probe into Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s eligibility.
