Jakarta, Indonesia - Psychological tests carried out on the leader of a religious cult who allegedly encouraged his followers to engage in sexual orgies and swap sex partners showed that he did not suffer from a mental disorder, Jakarta Police said on Thursday.
Police spokesman Zulkarnain said the test results meant that Agus Imam Solichin would be charged with blasphemy, which carries a maximum jail term of five years, and with facilitating lewd acts, which carries a maximum nine-year term.
Agus, the leader of Satria Paningit Weteng Buwono, turned himself in to the South Jakarta Police in January after the group’s premises were raided following a series of complaints.
Tony Lukman Hakim, Agus’s lawyer, said that his client was disappointed by the way the media had portrayed him and his group.
“Agus said that what he was doing was different from what the media said,” Tony said. “He said he never forced his followers to have orgies or swap sex partners. If [his followers] did that, it was based on their own free will.”
Agus had earlier stated that he allowed his followers to have sexual intercourse in a room together as a form of “medical treatment” while he watched them, but he never forced them to engage in the practice, Tony said.
He also said that Agus never asked his followers to refrain from fasting or performing sholat , or Islamic prayers, as was published in media reports.
The group, whose rituals included bathing followers to wash away their sins, was allegedly formed in 2002. The group’s membership peaked at about 20 people.