Intelligence chief warns tapping of Prabowo may amount to treason

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The chief of Indonesia's State Intelligence Agency (BIN) stated Friday that the alleged illegal wiretapping of President Prabowo Subianto and key political figures by senior police officers could amount to treason.

"That is an illegal action that may amount to treason," BIN Chief Muhammad Herindra told reporters upon arriving at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to present an intelligence briefing to the president.

Herindra's assessment follows the expansion of a criminal investigation by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), which has detained four high-ranking police officers—identified by their initials LSP, ASN, EH, and SU—in connection with the unauthorized surveillance scheme.

Investigators revealed that the officers ordered illegal wiretapping, breached unauthorized access protocols, and deleted electronic records targeting President Prabowo and other public figures between 2025 and 2026.

Bareskrim Chief Commissioner General Asep Safrudin confirmed that the surveillance operations were conducted without formal investigative requests or accompanying case reports and were entirely unrelated to official law enforcement duties.

Herindra's comments align with statements issued earlier in the week by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, who warned that unauthorized intercept operations against the head of state compromise critical national security interests and constitute potential acts of treason.

The fourth suspect, identified as SU, was formally charged Thursday for allegedly authorizing the illicit surveillance operation to proceed.

Translator: Prisca Triferna V, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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