President Susilo vows justice for Australian woman facing execution
President Susilo vows justice for Australian woman facing execution
Agence France-Presse, Sydney
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has insisted that justice
will prevail in the case of a young Australian woman facing the
death penalty over the smuggling of drugs to the resort island of
Bali.
Schapelle Corby was found with 4.1 kilograms of marijuana in
her unlocked boogie board bag when she arrived at Denpasar
airport last October.
The 27-year-old Gold Coast woman faces death by firing squad
if convicted of drug trafficking. Corby has denied any knowledge
of how the drugs got into her luggage.
The case has attracted much media attention in Australia,
prompting the government to arrange the transfer of a prisoner to
the Bali courtroom to give evidence that Corby was unwittingly
ensnared in a domestic drug trafficking network involving corrupt
airport baggage handlers.
Susilo, on an official visit here that has highlighted warming
ties between Australia and Indonesia, said he was keeping an eye
on the trial, although he expressed confidence in the court.
"I will watch (the case) closely to make sure that justice is
there, because justice is important to be upheld and everybody,
including the people of Australia and the people of Indonesia,
will watch that kind of fairness and justice," he said in an
interview with Australian newspapers published on Wednesday.
"As a president, I keep saying that while we have to respect
the court in proceeding this case, that the decisions of the
court must be just.
"They must be well-accepted by all sides and of course must be
logical in terms of well understood and accepted," he said.
Canberra has said it will fight vigorously to save Corby's
life if she is convicted and sentenced to death and may seek to
repatriate her to serve her sentence here.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said on Wednesday the outcome
of the case could lead to discussions between the Australian and
Indonesian governments.
Ruddock said that while he trusted the Indonesian judicial
system, "at times there is a need for governments to be engaged."
"There may be, after the court has deliberated, proper matters
for governments to address but I think one needs to wait until
that happens," he said.
The Australian newspaper called Susilo's personal promise to
monitor the Corby case "extraordinary" and a further sign of a
remarkable turnaround in the once testy relationship between the
neighbors.
Susilo developed close ties with Australian leaders when, as
an Indonesian security chief, he coordinated joint investigations
into the bombing by Islamic militants of a nightclub strip in
Bali that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australian.
Since Susilo's election as president last year, Australia has
twice come to the aid of his country, first pledging A$1 billion
(US$765 million) in aid and low-interest loans following the
devastating Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami off Sumatra and then
rushing military teams to help victims of a second powerful quake
last week.