Indonesia’s police chief is set to appear before a parliamentary panel as lawmakers investigate allegations that President Prabowo Subianto was targeted in an illegal wiretapping operation
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's police chief is set to appear before a parliamentary panel Thursday as lawmakers investigate allegations that President Prabowo Subianto was targeted in an illegal wiretapping operation by several high-ranking officials, including his own chief of staff.
The wiretap allegations, which have rattled the country’s political and security establishment, came to light after three senior police generals were detained including Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was named chief of staff to Prabowo in October and has close ties to former President Joko Widodo. Since then, a fourth top police official has been implicated.
Prabowo's office said the operation was being investigated as a case of possible treason. The government ordered 20,000 troops to Jakarta as a precaution, though there has not yet been any sign of a major military presence on the streets of the capital, with most kept on standby in barracks.
Part of the investigation is determining the origin of the order to wiretap the president.
Widodo, known popularly in Indonesia as Jokowi, has ties to the main suspects, which already has deepened a rift between the former president and Prabowo, said Evan Laksmana, a Singapore-based analyst with the…
