From Habibie to Prabowo: A history of wiretapping controversies involving Indonesian presidents

Allegations that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was targeted by wiretapping have emerged in a country with a long history of surveillance controversies involving its leaders. The latest case has implicated former National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo and two other senior police officials, and authorities have said further arrests may follow.

Earlier cases unfolded in different political settings. A leaked 1998 conversation between President BJ Habibie and the attorney-general concerned the handling of former president Suharto; responsibility for the leak was never disclosed. Megawati Soekarnoputri said in 2024 that she avoided her personal mobile phone because she feared monitoring, while Australian intelligence targeted Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s telephone communications in 2009, a case made public by reports based on leaked documents in 2013.