Corby gets 5-year sentence cut

Corby gets 5-year sentence cut

Agencies, Jakarta

The Bali High Court on Wednesday slashed five years off the sentence of convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, requiring her to serve 15 years for allegedly smuggling marijuana into Bali, her attorney said.

Officials at Bali's High Court refused to comment, saying a ruling will be issued on Friday.

Corby's lawyer, Hotman Paris, said he learned about the ruling on Wednesday and was mulling over whether to appeal. The attorney had earlier fought for a new trial and the 28-year-old has long insisted she was framed.

"Her sentence has been reduced by five years to 15 years, but that is still inhuman," Hotman was quoted by AP as saying.

"This is only marijuana, not heroin. If the prosecutor appeals this case, then I will also appeal. I also will talk about the verdict with Corby."

Her other lawyer Erwin Siregar told AFP that Corby, who is in Bali's Kerobokan jail, had not been informed about the ruling but he expects prosecutors to appeal to the Supreme Court against the sentence cut.

Siregar said Corby's elder sister, Mercedes, had been informed about the ruling and she had told him to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The former beauty student was sentenced to 20 years in prison in May for smuggling 4.2 kilograms of marijuana onto the resort island.

Her defense team claims she was probably a victim of a domestic drug ring involving corrupt Australian baggage handlers who failed to retrieve the planted marijuana before her bags were transferred to an international flight.

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

Dozens of foreigners are imprisoned for drug smuggling every year in the country, but Corby's case sparked public outrage in Australia, where many people believe she is innocent. Authorities have linked several terror alerts to the case, including a scare involving fake anthrax at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra last month.

Meanwhile, three Australians of the so-called "Bali nine" went on trial on Wednesday in Bali, accused of trying to smuggle more than 11 kilograms of heroin out of the country.

The three, like the two who were brought to court on Tuesday, could face a maximum sentence of death if found guilty and convicted of violating the country's antidrug laws.

Four others, also part of the "Bali nine", as dubbed by Australian media, are due to stand trial at the same court later this week.

Prosecutors told Bali's Denpasar District Court the three were arrested in a Bali hotel, along with a quantity of heroin, DPA reported. Several of the others accused were arrested at Bali's international airport as they prepared to board a Sydney-bound flight with heroin strapped to their bodies.

The trials of the eight men and one women are the latest in a series of high profile drug cases involving Australians in the country.

An Australian model, Michelle Leslie, 24, is also due to face trial in Bali for the illegal possession of two ecstasy tablets following her arrest in August, and could serve up to 15 years in jail if convicted.