Aussie lobbies RI over drug suspect
Aussie lobbies RI over drug suspect
Agencies, Jakarta
Australia's justice minister lobbied his Indonesian counterpart
on Thursday over the case of an Australian drug suspect facing a
possible death sentence, but denied his government was
intervening in the high-profile prosecution.
Justice Minister Chris Ellison acknowledged he brought up the
case of Schapelle Corby, on trial for drug smuggling on the
resort island of Bali, with Indonesian Minister of Justice and
Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin.
Ellison also said he had agreed to a request from Corby's
lawyers to discuss "a number of issues" related to the case when
he met the Indonesian attorney general later in the day.
But, Ellison said, "I don't think anyone would ask us or
expect us to intervene in court proceedings. That would be an
inappropriate request in Australia and an inappropriate request
in Indonesia".
He said the government will do whatever it can within the
bounds of the law to assist Corby. "That does not mean
intervention in legal proceedings. We respect the independence of
the judiciary in Indonesia as we do the independence of the
judiciary in Australia," he said.
Corby was arrested on Indonesia's Bali island in October after
airport authorities found 4.1 kilograms (9 pounds) of marijuana
in her surfboard bag as she arrived for a family holiday. Corby
has maintained her innocence, claiming the drugs were planted.
The case has become front-page news in Australia and turned
the 27-year-old beauty student into a minor celebrity. It has
been elevated almost to a diplomatic issue between Australia and
Indonesia at a time when the two countries are mending ties.
On a visit to Australia this week, Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono said he would ensure Corby received a fair
trial, while Canberra has sought a prisoner transfer deal, which
could see her repatriated if convicted.
Canberra earlier also arranged the transfer of a prisoner to
the Bali courtroom to give evidence that the defendant was
unwittingly ensnared in a domestic drug trafficking network
involving corrupt airport baggage handlers.
Corby faces a maximum death sentence if convicted, and some
Australians have suggested she could become a victim of
Indonesia's corrupt and poorly run judicial system.
Her lawyers allege the drugs were planted by baggage handlers
involved in a domestic drug trafficking operation in the eastern
city of Brisbane, where Corby boarded the plane. The marijuana
was meant to be removed by handlers in Sydney, where an
unsuspecting Corby transferred to an Indonesia-bound flight.
But the drugs were never picked up, the lawyers say, leaving
Corby holding the bag.
Ellison said he also discussed with Hamid a possible prisoner
transfer agreement, which would allow foreign convicts to serve
time in prison back home.
The Australian justice minister also denied that the
government was acting in the Corby case because of media and
public pressure at home, saying it would have taken the same
action in other overseas drug-related cases had it been asked.