Permadi's trial begins this month
JAKARTA (JP): The trial of controversial mystic Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, accused of insulting Islam, will begin in Sleman, Yogyakarta, at the end of this month, says one of his lawyers.
"The head of the Sleman District Court told me yesterday that Permadi's trial would begin at the end of this month," Ramdlon Naning, one of Permadi's lawyers, told The Jakarta Post by phone on Saturday.
However, the court has not yet decided which judges will be assigned to the trial, which is expected to draw huge public and press attention, Ramdlon said.
The other lawyers representing Permadi are Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, H.M. Dault, Tumbu Saraswati, and Sri Rahayu.
Permadi, who has been in detention since March 19, was charged with insulting Islam earlier this year over comments he allegedly made in March 1994 at a seminar at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He stands accused of describing the Prophet Muhammad as a "dictator" during the seminar.
The allegations have been denied by Permadi, who has said the relevant statement, made in response to a question from the floor during the question-and-answer session, were not intended to give offense to Moslems.
Several participants at the seminar have told police that Permadi went on to describe Prophet Muhammad as "a good dictator".
Permadi, who heads the Association of Indonesian Paranormals, is currently being detained at the Wirogunan prison in Yogyakarta.
Ramdlon said the Sleman Prosecutor's Office had submitted Permadi's dossiers to the Sleman District Court on Thursday and that he had received a copy of the documents on Friday.
Police investigators have reportedly said that they would charge Permadi under article 156(a) of the Criminal Code, concerning blasphemy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.
Ramdlon said that the Sleman prosecutor's office had assigned Dony Kadnezar, Juwito Pengasuh, and Syaifuddin Tagamal to be the prosecutors at the trial.
He said that his client was in good health and was spending his time in the prison reading books and newspapers and mingling with the other inmates.
According to the lawyer, Permadi's wife and four children, who reside in Jakarta, visit the mystic at least once every two weeks.
He said that several prominent public figures, including former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin, lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis, and humorologist Jaya Suprana, had visited his client.
Permadi is also in trouble for allegedly making remarks in which he suggested that the Ministry of Religious Affairs had embezzled enormous amounts of money from would-be haj pilgrims. Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher has hinted that he also intends to sue Permadi over the matter.
The ruling Golkar party is also planning to sue the mystic. Golkar alleges that Permadi likened it to the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party during a seminar. (imn)