Posted on 05/29/2005 1:03:37 PM PDT by wagglebee
CHAPELLE Corby is suffering cruel abuse and racial taunts in jail as Indonesian authorities move to keep her in prison for life.
The Indonesian Government yesterday backed the prosecution bid to toughen Corby's 20-year jail sentence for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Bali's airport last October.
"The 20 years in jail handed down by the Denpasar District Court is too light," Indonesian Attorney-General Abdul Rahman Sale told the Bali Post newspaper.
"She deserves to be sentenced to life."
As the reality of the marathon jail term sank in, Corby, 27, issued a heartfelt thank you to the nation.
"Thank you Australia. Thank you for standing by me," she said through her lawyers.
"Thank you for being there with me."
In other developments:
IT emerged long-term inmates of the dirty and overcrowded prison where she is being held have life expectancies of only 10 years.
THE trial judge defended his verdict as just.
HER family fears she may take her life if she is left to rot in prison.
MEMBERS of the Bali 9 were left dispirited after hearing for the first time that Corby had been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
THE Federal Government is offering to pay for the services of two top QCs with expertise in appeals in Indonesian law.
Corby's Indonesian lawyer, Vasu Rasiah, said she was struggling inside the notorious Kerobokan prison.
"Schapelle is very emotional - sometimes she is smiling, sometimes she is crying," he said.
"She's undergoing deep shock."
"Five or 10 years maybe you can understand, but 20 years - she just can't comprehend the time frame."
Ms Corby's cousin, who gave her name only as Nina, described the Australian's jail cell as a "disgusting, dirty and overcrowded place".
"She says the Indonesians inside are giving her hell because she wears western clothes and she can't speak Indonesian," she said.
The jail, near the Balinese capital Denpasar, was built for 366 prisoners, but holds 525. Among them are the Bali bombers.
The "Smiling Assassin" Amrozi - so-called because he laughed when punished for his role in killing 88 Australians - has yelled abuse at Corby as she tried to exercise.
Kerobokan prison doctor Anak Agung Gede Hartawan said common diseases included respiratory ailments and skin conditions, while many prisoners complained of headaches.
AIDS/HIV was rife, because corrupt officials turned a blind eye to drug abuse - indeed they are implicated in supplying them.
Dr Hartawan said 11 prisoners were confirmed carriers of HIV/AIDS, but dozens more were thought to have the virus.
Corby shares her 5m-wide cell with seven other women.
She will be forced to wash with a small bucket of untreated water and a ladle.
The squat toilet is near the food preparation area and the risk of contracting gastric disease is high.
For up to 20 hours a day she will be confined to her cell, where she will sleep on a mat on a tiled floor under a fluorescent light that is never switched off.
Chief judge Linton Sirait defended the guilty verdict, dismissing public angst the decision has caused.
"I am responsible for my verdict to the God, not to the people."
Corby's mother Rosleigh had screamed after the verdict that the judges would lose sleep over their decision, but yesterday Judge Sirait said he had slept "very well last night".
He said had not let Corby's emotion influence the decision.
"A judge is not allowed to bring his emotion to the case, so the judge decides in accordance to the law," he said.
Corby's family last night issued a statement appealing to Australians to continue visiting Bali.
"Do not boycott Bali. We don't want the Balinese people to hurt any more," it said.
"We just want the Australian people to boycott Qantas flights and direct your anger at Jakarta.
"Thank you to all the Australian people for their support. We are not finished yet."
Corby's brother Michael feared his sister might try to take her own life.
"She'd be thinking of killing herself," he said.
"She's been strong up until now, believing justice will prevail. But now . . . she's not going to cope."
Corby's Australian lawyer said it was likely they would accept the Australian Government's offer of legal assistance.
Solicitor Robin Tampoe said any assistance from Perth QCs Tom Percy and Mark Trowell, experts in appeals and Indonesian law, would be welcome.
The Australian Government had urged the Corby defence team to accept the pro bono offer.
Mr Percy yesterday warned that Corby risked having her jail term extended to life if the defence team appealed.
But criminologist Professor Paul Wilson, who testified in favour of Corby during the trial, said a win was not out of the question.
"It will be extremely difficult, but not impossible," he said.
Isnt 4 kilos x 2.2 lbs = 8.8 (lbs)
I R an idiot!
Thanks!
I think this girl's sentence is far too long as well.
EXCELLENT POST!
Thanks.
No chip. I'm not a Christian, but I always defend Christians. Sometimes (most of the time) sarcasm just doesn't translate as such in print. It has to be really obvious - otherwise it's just flat words on a page. Even in a novel you'd have someone say "..., he said sarcastically". Peace.
I am skeptical of her claims. Many countries make their drug policies very clear and anyone who tries is a FOOL and deserves what they get.
Justice in an Islamic COuntry is a contradiction in terms.
These ungrateful maggots who received so much western assistance in their recent "tragedy" should be treated to a special forces - OSS type operation to free this woman.
My God, it's absolutely INSANE!!!!
I have to say I thought of that movie myself when I read this story. Doubtful that she's ever seen it.
Schapelle Leigh Corby (born July 10, 1977) is a former beauty student from Australia convicted by an Indonesian court of attempting to smuggle 4.1 kg of cannabis into Indonesia. In October 2004 she was stopped by customs agents at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, and found to have a large package of drugs in her boogie board bag. Despite protesting her innocence, on May 27, 2005, she was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years jail. She was also fined IDR100,000,000 (AUD13,875), with an additional six months if the sum is not paid.
******
Prosecution
Schapelle Corby said that the customs officer pointed at her bag and asked her brother if the bag belonged to him. Corby replied that it was hers. She opened her bag without being asked by the customs officer.
The customs officer, Gusti Nyoman Winata, gave a different version of the event. He said that he asked Corby to open her bag and she opened up an empty compartment of the bag. When he demanded a different compartment of the bag to be opened, she tried to prevent him from performing his duty. Corby's defence rejects these claims, but they are backed up by another custom officer and two local police officers.
According to Professor Tim Lindsey, Director of the University of Melbourne's Asian Law Centre, the prosecution had a prima facie case against Corby, established merely by her possession of the narcotics, regardless of her knowledge. In a lecture given at Melbourne University (http://harangue.lecture.unimelb.edu.au/ilectures/ilectures.lasso?ut=707&id=19721), he said "Suffice to say that being caught with drugs on you, whether strapped to you or in a bag that is your property, is probably going to be sufficient in most instances for the prosecution to establish a prima facie case. The question then arises as to how that prima facie case is answered by a defence team."
[edit]
Defence
John Patrick Ford, currently a remand prisoner at Port Phillip Prison, Australia, gave evidence in Corby's defence. Ford previously worked as a public servant for the (Australian) Child Support Agency (CSA).
Ford stated that he overheard a conversation within a prison between two men and alleges one of the men planted the marijuana in Corby's boogie board bag in Brisbane with the intent of having another person remove it in Sydney. Ford went on to state that a simple mixup resulted in the marijuana not being removed and subsequently being transported to Indonesia, all without Corby's knowledge. Once in Indonesia the marijuana was quickly located by Indonesian customs officials.
Ford stated that the drugs were owned by Ron Vigenser, who had been a prisoner at the same jail as Ford (but was recently released) but has refused to name the man who he states planted the drugs for fear that he, and possibly Corby, would be killed if he did so. Vigenser has strenuously denied any connection with the drugs in the Australian media and has reportedly given a statement to the Australian Federal Police.
Following communication from Corby's legal team and the Australian government, the Indonesia government made a request under the Mutual Assistance Treaty for Ford to be transported to Indonesia to give evidence.
The prosecution has attacked Ford's evidence, pointing out that his evidence is entirely hearsay and that he is facing trial for several serious offences and that he may have wanted a "taste of freedom" by testifying in Corby's trial. Legal commentators in Australia have remarked that an Australian court would not even hear his hearsay testimony, but it was allowed in the Indonesian system because the judges themselves, responsible for deciding the verdict, can decide what evidence will and won't be taken into a ccount.
An AUD1,000,000 reward has been offered for information to substantiate claims made by Ford about baggage handlers.
Since returning from Bali, Ford has been bashed and stabbed in jail and is now in solitary confinement for his own protection. [1] (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/05/corby.stab/index.html)
[edit]
Involvement of Ron Bakir
A Gold Coast business man, Ron Bakir, is personally funding a significant part of Corby's defence. Bakir claims to have no relationship to Corby other than being from the same city. Bakir reportedly decided to assist in funding Corby's defence due to his belief that a miscarriage of justice could occur if she was not properly represented. Bakir has pledged AUD100,000 towards the AUD1,000,000 reward fund.
Prior to the prosecution announcing their sentencing recommendation Bakir accused the prosecution team of seeking a bribe to reduce the requested sentence. The prosecution team and the Indonesian government vehemently denied that this occurred. Corby's legal team have openly admitted their anger at Bakir making these statements before the sentencing recommendation, fearing that it may have encouraged the prosecution to seek a more severe penalty.
Bakir has recently registered a Company titled Schapelle Corby Pty Ltd [2] (http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1370543.htm), causing others to raise doubts as to his motives. Corby's father (who was himself convicted of a drug related offence [3] (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15358628-2,00.html)) has also expressed his concerns about the true intentions of Bakir.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005. 8:49am (AEST)
No 'direct link' between trafficking report and Corby
Federal Transport Minister John Anderson says there is no link between the case of convicted drug smuggler, Schapelle Corby, and a Customs report highlighting major problems of drug trafficking at Sydney Airport.
The report alleges that teams of baggage handlers, cleaners and other airport workers have been involved in diverting bags containing drugs from international flights to domestic flights.
It also points to other "serious" security breaches.
Mr Anderson says he has been aware of the issues raised in the report, which was completed in September of last year, and he says work has been done to fix the problems.
Mr Anderson told Channel 9 there is no connection to Corby, who claimed the four kilograms of marijuana found in her bag in Bali last year, had been planted during her domestic flight from Brisbane to Sydney.
"It doesn't find any direct link there," he said.
"I'd remind you that since then, of course, you have seen successful action, very successful action by the relevant authorities tracking down the sort of people that, yes, the report seems to indicate that there were real grounds for suspicion in relation to some people and that seems to have been acted upon."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1380656.htm
Labor probe call on airport security
May 31, 2005
THE federal Opposition has called for an investigation into reports of criminals operating at Australian airports and questioned why a Customs report was not passed on to Schapelle Corby's defence.
The Customs report, obtained by The Australian newspaper, detailed serious security breaches and illegal activity by baggage handlers, air crew, ramp and trolley workers, security screeners and cleaners.
Transport Minister John Anderson said today the Government had made many changes to airport security since the report and further changes had been recommended by the new Office of Transport Security.
But Opposition homeland security spokesman Robert McClelland said the report showed the Government's approach to airport security was a farce.
Mr McClelland said the temporary use of the Inspector of Transport Security, former federal police chief Mick Palmer, to inquire into the Cornelia Rau affair had added to problems.
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