Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The National Police have faced a series of major scandals involving senior officers over the past two decades, from corruption and illegal visa fees to murder and drug trafficking, exposing persistent challenges to accountability within one of the country's most powerful institutions.
The latest controversy, involving allegations of unauthorized surveillance targeting President Prabowo Subianto and other prominent figures, has once again placed the conduct of senior police officials under intense scrutiny.
Police announced Tuesday that three suspects, including former National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, had been identified in an investigation into alleged unlawful interception of communications between 2025 and 2026. Listyo now serves as presidential chief of staff.
Unlike several earlier scandals that resulted in criminal convictions, the latest case remains under investigation.
Former police chief convicted of corruption
One of the most prominent cases involving a former National Police chief concerned Rusdihardjo, who led the force from 2000 to 2001.
Years after leaving the police leadership, Rusdihardjo was convicted of corruption involving illegal visa fees collected while he served as Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia from 2004 to 2006.
The case was particularly significant because it involved a former head of the National Police, although the offenses occurred during his subsequent diplomatic career rather than his tenure as police chief.
Another senior figure, former Criminal Investigation Agency Chief Susno Duadji, was convicted of corruption in a case that attracted widespread public attention.
Susno, who once headed the National Police's principal criminal investigation body, was sentenced to prison over corruption offenses, becoming one of the most prominent senior officers to face criminal punishment.
Murder case shakes police leadership
A far more serious scandal emerged in 2022 when Ferdy Sambo, then a two-star police general and head of the National Police's Internal Affairs Division, was implicated in the murder of his subordinate, Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat.
The case shocked Indonesia after investigators uncovered efforts to conceal the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Sambo was convicted of premeditated murder and initially sentenced to death in February 2023.
The Supreme Court subsequently reduced his sentence to life imprisonment.
The case became one of the most damaging scandals in the National Police's recent history, not only because of the murder itself but also because of the involvement of officers in attempts to obstruct the investigation.
It raised serious questions about the abuse of authority, internal oversight, and the ability of police investigators to pursue cases involving their own superiors.
Senior general jailed in drug trafficking case
Another major scandal involved Teddy Minahasa Putra, a two-star police general who was arrested in 2022 in connection with a narcotics trafficking operation.
Teddy, who had held senior regional police leadership positions, was accused of involvement in the illicit distribution of methamphetamine linked to drugs previously seized by police.
He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023.
The case dealt another blow to public confidence in the National Police because it involved an officer entrusted with enforcing the country's strict narcotics laws.
It also underscored the risks posed when law enforcement personnel entrusted with handling seized evidence become involved in criminal activity.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesias-police-scandals-the-generals-brought-down-by-criminal-case