T

he trial of cleric Guntur Bumi, who stands accused of committing fraud through an alternative-medical practice, began at the North Jakarta District Court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have charged Guntur, whose real name is Muhammad Susilo Wibowo, under Article 378 of the Criminal Code for enriching himself by deceiving patients who paid millions of rupiah for his medical treatments. The crime carries a maximum sentence of four years'€™ imprisonment.

'€œThe defendant has made financial gains by lying to his patients so they would be interested in receiving medical treatment from him,'€ lead prosecutor Sugih said.

Guntur, who describes himself as an ustadz, an honorific for a Muslim cleric, ran a clinic in Pondok Pinang, South Jakarta, claiming to cure illnesses through prayer.

The Jakarta Police arrested Guntur on May 5 following a police report filed by a former patient, identified as Irfangi. The patient claimed that he had not been cured of his heart problem after visiting Guntur and paying him for his services.

Another former patient, identified only as R, claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by Guntur while in the clinic seeking treatment for her leg pain. However, the prosecutor did not include this allegation in the charges.

During Wednesdays hearing, Irfangi'€™s wife Sukasmi said that she and her husband had visited Guntur'€™s clinic to seek alternative treatment.

'€œWe were lured by the clinic'€™s television advertisement that displayed testimonies from cured patients,'€ she said, adding that she also sought treatment for her ailments.

However, Sukasmi said that she and her husband were not cured even though they had made several payments totaling Rp 76.2 million (US$6,514) for the clinic'€™s services.

Sukasmi added that during the alternative treatment, Guntur often applied dubious practices, such as bringing her into a dark room and revealing bones and maggots that he said he had removed from
her body.

'€œGuntur Bumi said that my husband and I were under attack from black magic spells,'€ she said.

Prior to establishing the clinic, Guntur starred in a reality television show back in 2004 titled Pemburu Hantu, or Ghost Hunters, in which he and several other clerics would visit houses that were said to be haunted and hunt down the supernatural beings.

During the trial hearing, the judges also heard testimony from Ferdianti, a bank official, about Guntur'€™s bank account. According to Ferdianti, the bank account had received money from several different sources.

'€œThe deposits always came from different names with amounts of around Rp 100 million in every deposit,'€ she said. (idb)