Ex-police chief may have committed ‘treason’ by wiretapping President

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s former police chief may have committed “treason” through his alleged involvement in wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto’s telephone, the government said on Wednesday.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo has been fired from his latest post as presidential chief of staff, and was arrested on Tuesday with two other senior police officials for allegedly spying on his boss and other high-profile individuals.

“What was done may have fallen into the category of being considered as leading to treason,” presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“This also constitutes actions that endanger the security of the interests of the state, including jeopardizing the safety of the country’s leader,” he said.

Under Indonesia’s criminal code, the maximum penalty for treason against the President is death by firing squad.

Government officials and politicians, journalists, non-government organization representatives and businesspeople were also targeted in the alleged wiretap.

The national police’s top detective, Asep Safrudin, said Tuesday the surveillance operation had been conducted “without any legal basis or without any investigative or inquiry process in accordance with applicable laws.”

Listyo has not commented publicly on the allegations.

Prasetyo said Wednesday said the motive was not yet known.

“When we talk about the head of state... there is a great deal of information there that is naturally very sensitive, which could endanger... the interests and the strength of the nation and the state,” he said.

Prasetyo added that President Prabowo had expressed his “profound concern” about the revelations.