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ibel defendant Prita Mulyasari, the center of the Omni hospital scandal, stood trial at the Tangerang District Court on Thursday.

Presiding judge Karel Topu opened the trial that heard prosecutors read out their charges against the mother of two. The prosecutors charged the defendant with violating articles of the Internet Information Transaction Law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment, and various articles of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum sentence of 18 months.

Prita was detained for three weeks after she was charged with defamation for posting complaints on the Internet about the poor service of Omni International Hospital in Serpong, Tangerang.

Prosecutors Rahmawati and Hariyadi read out the four-page indictment against Prita that claims she deliberately distributed information via email defaming two Omni hospital doctors, Hengki Gosal and Grace Hilza Yarlen Nela.

Prita, accompanied by her husband Andre Nugroho and her sisters, arrived at the district court in an old black sedan 30 minutes before the hearing. She walked into the courtroom, which was packed with anxious visitors and journalists.

The prosecutors said the incident in question began when the defendant went to Omni hospital seeking treatment for a headache and fever on Aug. 7.

"After she was examined by Dr Indah, it is known the defendant's thrombocyte dropped to 27,000, so she had to be treated by a specialist doctor at the hospital. Dr Indah recommended Dr Hengki Gosal treat her," Rahmawati told the hearing.

Hengki then examined the defendant's condition, which had weakened after suffering from a high fever for three days, as well as a serious headache, nausea and general pains in her body.

"Based on observation results, the doctor declared Prita a dengue fever suspect and diagnosed a viral and secondary infection, which she was treated for with an intravenous injection," the prosecutors said.

The following morning Hengki informed Prita there had been a revision of her blood count from 27,000 to 181,000. As the defendant's left hand had begun to swell, she asked the doctor to stop the intravenous injection.

The prosecutors said, according to the defendant, her condition worsened. She left the hospital on Aug. 12 with a final diagnosis result showing that she had suffered from parotitis or mumps.

Prita, who had delivered written complaints to the management of the hospital's customer service center, relocated to Bintaro International Hospital for medical treatment until Aug. 15.

"The subject of her complaint included the condition of her health from the time she entered the hospital's emergency ward until she left the hospital, laboratory results, poor service and information and the response of *Omni customer service manager* Dr Grace - accused of unprofessional practice - led the defendant to write and send an email to her friends titled *Omni International Hospital, Alam Sutera, Tangerang, fraud," the prosecutor said.

Defence lawyers Syamsu Anwar and Slamet Juwono said they would deliver counter statements against the prosecutors' charges, slated next Thursday.