Convicted Australian drug smuggler to file an appeal

Convicted Australian drug smuggler to file an appeal

Agence France-Presse, Denpasar

Lawyers for convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby on Tuesday moved to appeal her 15-year jail sentence before the Supreme Court.

Three of Corby's Indonesian lawyers submitted legal documents to the Denpasar District Court, Bali, empowering them to file an appeal to the Supreme Court.

"With the submission of these documents, we have now 14 days to file an official appeal document," one of the lawyers, Haposan Sihombing, said after giving the documents to court officials.

Corby, 28, was found guilty in May and sentenced to 20 years in jail after 4.1 kilograms of marijuana was found inside her unlocked surfboard bag when she arrived in Bali on holiday.

Bali's High Court on Oct. 14 reduced her 20-year sentence to 15 years. Her lawyers have said Corby would request the Supreme Court release her or at least further trim her sentence to less than 10 years.

The original sentence outraged many Australians, partly due to its severity and partly because many believed her lawyers' claims that international drug smugglers put the marijuana in her bag without her knowledge.

The High Court ordered the reopening of her original trial to hear additional witnesses following a request from Corby's lawyers.

But the court has so far ruled out allowing two Australian prisoners to give evidence via video links.