Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday dismissed his chief of staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, over the alleged wiretapping of the president and cabinet ministers.
Listyo, who is not related to the president, served five years as national police chief before becoming chief of staff. DW reported that he was among those detained, along with other senior police officers including Ahrie Sonta Nasution, head of the national police’s legal division, according to local media.
Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi described the alleged surveillance as “an act tending towards treason.” Those accused could face unlawful surveillance charges carrying up to 10 years in prison.
More than 20,000 troops have been deployed in Jakarta, DW reported. The military did not say whether the deployment was linked to the arrests. “Troop deployments are a normal occurrence,” military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Muhammad Nas said.
Sources: Al Jazeera, DW
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