Permadi claims innocence, will appeal
Permadi claims innocence, will appeal
JAKARTA (JP): Controversial soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho maintained his innocence and declared his plan to appeal to Yogyakarta High Court ruling sentencing him to four months of imprisonment for blasphemy.
He told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday that the higher court's sentence, which is shorter than the one made by the lower Sleman District Court, has convinced him even more that he is not guilty.
"The High Court's judges should have cleared me of all charges, because all the evidence and testimony given during the trials in the district court supported my innocence," he said.
He said he believed the judges have indeed realized he was innocent, but still had to rule against his release because "they were not free from outside pressure". He did not elaborate.
Judges at the Yogyakarta High Court sentenced Permadi to four month of imprisonment for insulting Islam when he said at a seminar at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta in 1994 that Prophet Muhammad was a dictator.
The copy of the verdict was delivered to the Sleman District Court on Tuesday. The punishment meted out by the High Court was three months shorter than the term given by the District Court on Sept. 11, 1995.
Permadi started to serve his time on April 17. He had served the jail term for five months and three days, when he was released on Sept. 12, 1995 on the consideration of a legal technicality.
The Yogyakarta High Court's ruling of four months imprisonment means that Permadi had been kept behind bars for a month and three days too long.
Despite his intention to appeal, Permadi said yesterday he would still consult his team of lawyers beforehand.
"Whether to appeal or not, it will be their decision. I will accept their decision," he said.
He said he did not care about "the judiciary of this world". "What's important for me is that I have asked God's forgiveness for everything that I have done and said", he said.
"I ask God to punish me, as harshly as possible, if He feels I was guilty, and to let me go free if I'm innocent," he added.
Appeal
Meanwhile, Permadi's lawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi said the team of lawyers would soon file an appeal to the Supreme Court.
"We have discussed the High Court's verdict and will file an appeal to the Supreme Court," Trimoelja told the Post yesterday.
Permadi's team of lawyers included Trimoelja, H.M. Dault, Ramdlon Naning, Tumbu Saraswati and Sri Purwani.
Trimoelja said that the decision to appeal was based on the lawyers' conviction of their client's innocence, and all the testimony during the trial.
Trimoelja said none of the security officials, who attended the seminar and later testified against Permadi in the Sleman District Court, said that Permadi made blasphemous remarks during the event.
The lawyer also said that Permadi could lodge a complaint about the extra jail time he had served. However, no matter how much a settlement Permadi would receive, it would still be an inadequate compensation for the time he served behind bars, Trimoelja said.
He said that his client would probably get Rp 1 million (US$434.70), but that the lawsuit will have cost him more.(imn)