Australian to face verdict on May 27

Australian to face verdict on May 27

DENPASAR, Bali: An Australian woman accused of trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana to the resort island of Bali will be sentenced on May 27, the judge said on Thursday.

Schapelle Corby, 27, a former beauty therapy student from Australia's Gold Coast region, could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Prosecutors have demanded life in prison and a Rp 100 million (US$10,460) fine, but judges are not bound by the recommendation.

The Denpasar District Court's chief judge, Linton Sirait, set the sentencing date after Corby's lawyers read out a final defense submission.

Defense lawyer Erwin Siregar said the case hinged on the statement of a single individual, a customs officer named Winata, who claimed Corby had admitted the drug was hers.

"Schapelle herself has said that she has never admitted that it was hers," Siregar said. "Therefore there is an element of doubt, and the judges should consider this."

Police had also failed to take fingerprints from the plastic container that held the cannabis, he said.

Corby's Australian lawyers have said she was unwittingly used as a courier by organized criminals trying to smuggle drugs from Brisbane to Sydney. --AFP