Reopening of Corby drug case ordered

Reopening of Corby drug case ordered

Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

The Bali High Court ordered on Monday the reopening of the trial of a young Australian woman who was sentenced to 20 years jail for smuggling drugs onto the resort island.

The high court has ordered the district court in the island's capital Denpasar to hear Australian witnesses put forward by lawyers defending Schapelle Corby, said chief judge Made Lingga.

"The High Court has ordered the district court to examine more witnesses as requested by the defendant's lawyers," Lingga told AFP.

The witnesses who would be called to testify included Australian customs officials, airport staff and baggage handlers, he said.

Corby, 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling 4.2 kilograms of marijuana in May.

The former beautician had claimed the marijuana was put in her luggage without her knowledge by an international drug smuggling syndicate.

Although the new hearing would be conducted by the district court, the final verdict would be passed by the High Court, Lingga said.

The judge said a date for the additional hearings had not been set.

The verdict and long sentence sparked public outrage across Australia, where many people protested her innocence and condemned the Indonesian justice system.

The Indonesian embassy in Australia has been a target of security hoaxes after two suspicious packages containing white powder were sent to the mission following Corby's conviction.

The powder was later declared harmless, but officials linked the scares to public anger over Corby.

Australia has proposed a prisoner exchange agreement with Indonesia to allow Corby and other Australians convicted in Indonesia to serve sentences in their home country.

The Indonesian government has said it was looking into the possibility.