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