Police take over investigation of Permadi
Police take over investigation of Permadi
JAKARTA (JP): Police took over the investigation of psychic Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, who allegedly insulted Islam, from the Attorney General's Office yesterday.
Attorney General spokesman Basrief Arief said that the office had found evidence that Permadi degraded Islam in various remarks and statements he made over the past year.
Basrief said Permadi, who had been in custody at the Attorney General's Office since Sunday, was transferred yesterday to the National Police headquarters.
Investigators are likely to use article 156a on blasphemy of the Criminal Code, he added.
If found guilty, Permadi faces a maximum of five years imprisonment under the article.
Since blasphemy is a general crime, the Attorney General's Office decided to turn over the investigation to the police, Basrief said.
Permadi became the target of Moslem furor over the weekend following allegations that he called Prophet Muhammad a dictator during a seminar at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta in March last year.
Permadi has denied the accusations and said that his remarks had been manipulated and taken out of context.
But with the mounting protest calling for his prosecution and a vigilante group of Moslems youths staking out his Jakarta residence, Permadi went to the authorities on Sunday.
National Police chief Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro yesterday confirmed that Permadi volunteered to come to the police.
"Permadi signed a statement saying that his presence at the police headquarters was not because he was arrested but because he was seeking police protection," Banurusman told Commission III of the House of Representatives yesterday.
Banurusman also urged the public, particularly the Moslem community, to be calm and to leave everything to the police.
He said the police would also pursue the case based on article 156a of the Criminal Code.
The blasphemy article was used against Arswendo Atmowiloto, former editor of the banned Monitor tabloid, five years ago. Arswendo, who faced even stronger Moslem backlash, was sentenced the maximum five years.
Arswendo was found guilty of blasphemy by a Jakarta court for dishonoring Islam by publishing the results of a controversial popularity poll.
The poll, published by the magazine, put Prophet Muhammad in 11th place, below President Soeharto who was ranked first, Moslem preacher Zainuddin M.Z. (in fifth place), singer Iwan Fals (fourth) and Arswendo himself (10th).
Chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council Hasan Basri, one of the first Moslem leaders to condemn Permadi last weekend, said the soothsayer must face the law even if he repented.
"Saying sorry is not enough, there are rules to follow," Hasan was quoted by Antara as saying on Monday.
Hasan said he had read the transcript of Permadi's statement in the seminar. "The contents of the statement was horrifying."
Permadi's statement revealed that he knew nothing about Prophet Muhammad, or the history of Islam, he said.
Hasan said the council will not prolong the controversy against Permadi since the government was dealing with the case.
He denied suggestions that council had been used by the government to strike at Permadi.
The government questioned Permadi on two occasions last week about his January prediction that there would be political turbulence in Indonesia this year.
Government and military officials said his remarks could have a destabilizing effect on the nation. The government however has not pressed charges against Permadi on this question.
A criminal law expert, Prof. Muladi from Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, urged a comprehensive, unbiased investigation of Permadi.
"Permadi cannot be charged for blasphemy just by referring to the tape-recorded statement, there must be other evidence," Muladi told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. (imn/bsr/har)