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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4012226 - 04/04/05 10:20 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby lawyer pessimistic
April 4, 2005
news.com.au

SCHAPELLE Corby's Indonesian lawyer is pessimistic about her client's chances of being acquitted on drug-smuggling charges, saying the evidence heard at her trial might not be hard enough to clear the Gold Coast woman.

"She has big hopes (of being released) but I believe all of the evidence we have brought to the court could only get a slighter punishment for her," Lely Sri Rahayu Lubis said.

"In the prosecutor's mind the drugs were in her bag. She admitted it (the bag) was hers and the claim tag was under her name, so it is clear (for the prosecutors that) she committed the crime.

"Everything now depends on the judges: If they believe from our evidence that she did not do it, they can release her."

Ms Lubis issued the warning just days before Ms Corby's trial before a Bali court enters its final phase.

Meanwhile, Ms Corby's cancer-stricken father arrived in Bali today and visited her in the island's notorious Kerobokan prison.

He fears the health of his 27-year-old daughter is deteriorating rapidly from the stress of being behind bars and facing the prospect of either execution by firing squad or a long prison sentence.

This is a crucial time for Ms Corby, Ms Lubis said.

According to Indonesian law, the defence needed to identify "somebody who owns the marijuana and who has no connection with Schapelle", she said..

"That's the only strong evidence that could release Schapelle," she said.

The case resumes on Thursday, when prosecutors are scheduled to tell the court's three-judge panel what punishment they think should be imposed if Ms Corby is convicted.

The judges ultimately decide Ms Corby's guilt or innocence, and what penalty should be handed down, if any.

That decision is not expected until early to mid-May.

Indonesian courts do not have juries.

Ms Corby has denied having anything to do with the drugs found in her luggage.

The former beauty student's father, Michael Corby, 55, plans to be in court on Thursday.

"Dad's really worried about Schapelle," his eldest daughter Mercedes said.

"He's reading in the news that she's going downhill and he wants to be here to support her."

Mr Corby, whose prostate cancer has spread to his bones, was given six months to live at the end of 2003.

Schapelle Corby had been caring for him on the Gold Coast before she travelled to Bali last October, when she was arrested at Denpasar airport after 4.1kg of high-grade cannabis was found in her unlocked bodyboard bag.

Mercedes Corby said her sister has been constantly worrying about what would happen to their ill father if she did not return home soon.

"She's gone downhill," Mercedes said. "Her body is probably shutting down from the anxiety."

The defence team last week wrapped up their case with testimony from Victorian prisoner John Ford.

He told the court that, based on conversations he had overheard in prison, he believed Ms Corby was used as an unwitting mule by the real owner of the stash, whom he identified as Melbourne man, Ron Vigenser.

However, he would not name another man whom he believed planted the drugs in Ms Corby's luggage, citing fears of violent revenge.

Earlier in the trial, Australian expert witnesses testified that Ms Corby did not fit the profile of a drug courier and that mules were commonly used by trafficking syndicates operating at Australian airports.

Her travelling partners testified they clearly saw inside her boogieboard bag before embarking on their planned holiday to Bali, and it contained only the board and a pair of flippers.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said the Federal Government would fight to spare Ms Corby's life if she was convicted, and could seek to repatriate her to Australia under existing transfer-of-prisoner agreements if she was sentenced to prison.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4019430 - 04/05/05 10:03 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby forced to adapt to life in jail
6 April 2005
Canberra Times

The food is bad and the cells crowded and grubby. But accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has had to adapt to the routine of life inside the walls of Bali's decrepit Kerobokan prison.

The 27-year-old beauty student from the Gold Coast shares a cell with seven Indonesian prisoners in the female block.

It's cramped and it smells. A grimy squat-toilet is in one corner. Her cellmates also use it to bathe the traditional way, using a small bucket to throw cold water over themselves.

There is no ventilation, no running water, no privacy and no mattresses. A fluorescent light burns 24 hours a day.

Just 4km from the bustle and neon lights of the Kuta tourist strip, Kerobokan prison has been Corby's home since her arrest last October, when she was arrested at Bali airport with 4.1kg of cannabis in her unlocked boogie-board bag.

She has grown used to the routine.

However, her family have raised fears about her health. As her trial enters its final phase, they say she's feeling the stress of knowing that if found guilty she could face a firing squad or a long prison stretch.

Her cell is unlocked early in the morning and visiting time begins at 9am, breaking at noon for an hour's lunch and finally ending at 3pm. Prisoners are locked up again from 4.30pm.

When she is not attending court hearings or receiving visitors, Corby plays tennis, joins yoga and weaving classes, goes to church and reads the bible. But, unlike the men, female prisoners are not allowed to visit the prison library.

The meals are unhygienic and diarrhoea is a common result, relatives say. "She gets rice, sometimes with bits of chicken in it, but it's inedible," Corby's sister Mercedes says. "I feel like vomiting when I see the cart it's cooked on."

Corby instead eats fast food or meals brought in by her family, friends and lawyers. They also bring toilet paper and other luxuries like chocolate, toiletries, cleaning agents to scrub the cell and a mattress to sleep on.

Even Australians who have never met Corby before take time out of holidays in Bali to visit her and bring care packages.

This outside support is the key to survival in the prison, where maintenance is so neglected that a prisoner escaped last year after parts of the perimeter wall fell down.

It could be Corby's home for some time yet.

"She has big hopes [of being released], but I believe all of the evidence we have brought to the court could only get a slighter punishment for her," lawyer Lely Sri Rahayu Lubis said.

Prosecutors are scheduled to submit this week their sentencing request, in which they will recommend what punishment should be imposed if Corby is found guilty of narcotics trafficking.

In the meantime, she faces an anxious wait for the court's verdict, expected within four to five weeks.

Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday that her plight had been raised indirectly with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said it would have been inappropriate to raise the case directly during talks in Parliament House yesterday. But Attorney- General Philip Ruddock had raised issues surrounding trial during the meeting.

Kerobokan holds many foreigners serving sentences for drug offences, as well as hardened criminals on death row.

It is well known that a relative or friend on the outside can often pay a bribe of roughly $100 to secure a day- pass for a convicted criminal whom the authorities consider no threat to public safety.

But nevertheless it is a long way from the university degrees and modern comforts available at Australian prisons.

If she is convicted, Justice Minister Chris Ellison has vowed to fight to save her life and possibly to repatriate her to Australia.

Legal adviser Vasu Rasiah said: "What really gets her down is staying in a confined place waiting for help that never comes."

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4021224 - 04/06/05 10:55 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby in tears as trial is extended
April 7, 2005
news.com.au

UNDER intense emotional stress, Schapelle Corby broke down in tears yesterday when she learned her drug-smuggling trial was to be extended by another week.

Prosecutors were today due to present their "demand" and summation of the case, in which they were expected to tell the judges what sentence they believe Corby should receive.

But the demand, which has been sent to the prosecution chief's office in Jakarta to be checked, has not yet been returned.

It is expected prosecutor IB Wiswantanu will today ask for a one-week adjournment.

The news came as a blow to Corby, who had been steeling herself for today's demand and the fresh emotions and uncertainty it would bring.

Her older sister Mercedes visited the jail yesterday morning to tell Corby of the delay.

"She just broke down. She has been so worried about it. It is just another week to wait. Another minute is long enough," Mercedes said.

"I felt like crying. I was crying on the inside but if I cry it makes it worse.

"The waiting and not knowing is getting to her. It takes a lot out of her."

She said her sister was suffering emotionally and that she had not been herself in recent weeks as the case reached its critical stage.

The women's father, Michael Corby, who has terminal prostate cancer, arrived in Bali at the weekend to see his daughter for the first time in three months.

He has twice visited Kerobokan Jail since arriving and said both he and his daughter had tried hard to "keep it together".

Corby denies she tried to smuggle the 4.1kg of marijuana found inside her unlocked body board bag when she arrived at Bali's international airport last October.

She faces the maximum death sentence or life in prison and legal analysts expect prosecutor Mr Wiswantanu to demand the death penalty.

Prosecutors have demanded the death sentence for three other men recently accused in drugs cases in Bali.

However, under Indonesian law the judges can disregard prosecution demands and impose their own sentence.

The three judges hearing Corby's case have said they will not be affected by any outside intervention when it comes to reaching a verdict in the case.

Judge Lanang Dauh yesterday refused to comment on statements made by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Australia on Tuesday that he would watch Corby's case to ensure justice was done.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4025547 - 04/07/05 09:42 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby too sick to continue
April 7, 2005
theage.com.au

Accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby today clutched her stomach and winced as she told an Indonesian court that she was too sick to continue her trial.

"I'm really sick," a tearful and pale-looking Corby told Bali's Denpasar District Court.

Corby was brought to court today as her plight was discussed at a meeting in Jakarta between her lawyers and Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison.

She vomited after being led stumbling through the throng of journalists to a holding cell.

Corby was then led to the court room, pausing outside to finger a cross hanging from a chain around her neck.

Adjourning the trial until April 14, head judge Linton Sirait advised Corby to take better care of herself.

"Take care of your health, don't be stressed. If you're stressed you might get diarrhoea," he told her.

Relatives said Corby's health was noticeably weakening as the trial entered its final phase, with a verdict expected by mid-May.

Prosecutor IB Wiswantanu said he had been ready today to reveal what sentence would be sought for Corby, but would not disclose what punishment she faces if convicted of narcotics trafficking.

The 27-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast faces a maximum penalty of death by firing squad after being caught with 4.1kg of high-grade cannabis in her unlocked bodyboard bag at Bali airport last October.

Her sister Mercedes Corby said a doctor would visit Schapelle in prison to assess her condition, which had deteriorated significantly over the last two weeks.

"(It's) just everything. Stressed, sore stomach, diarrhoea, vomiting," Mercedes Corby said.

Her father Michael Corby, who suffers from terminal prostate cancer, said it was difficult to see his daughter looking so ill on his first visit to the court since she went on trial.

"She's trying hard, but it's right to the nitty-gritty now," he said.

"The stress and the whole thing and the stomach cramps and the nerves. It's getting on top of her."

Amid signs that the Australian public is throwing its support behind Corby, Ellison met today with Corby's senior lawyers in Jakarta and promised to take up several issues with the Indonesian Attorney-General later today.

Ellison has pledged to fight to spare Corby's life if she is convicted, and to seek to repatriate her under existing transfer-of-prisoner agreements if she is sentenced to a jail term.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he would monitor the case to ensure the court handed down a just and fair verdict.

Sirait said he was not surprised by his president's comments and did not feel under any pressure to treat Corby differently to any other person on trial.

"It's normal that the Prime Minister of Australia is concerned and giving attention to his citizens," he said.

"The trial has already been fair."

Michael Corby expressed doubts that high-level talks between Australia and Indonesia would aid her defence.

He said the Australian government had been slow to respond to calls for help and the Indonesian investigation into the case had contained "muck-ups".

"(It) depends on what they call justice here, love.

"(It) looks a bit fairyland to me.

"Everything's reversed here. You're guilty until you're proven innocent."

His visit came as an anonymous email petition was distributed around Australia and overseas, calling on the Australian government to ensure that, innocent or guilty, Corby was returned to Australia and did not face the firing Squad.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4030195 - 04/08/05 09:40 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby on medication after trial delay
April 9, 2005
smh.com.au

The accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was taking medication yesterday to help settle her stomach and calm her nerves after becoming too ill on Thursday to continue her trial.

The 27-year-old from the Gold Coast yesterday told Bali's Denpasar District Court that she was suffering from diarrhoea and stomach cramps and was too sick to sit through the prosecution's scheduled request for sentencing. The court adjourned the case until April 14.

Immediately afterwards, Corby returned to Kerobokan prison and visited the prison clinic's doctor, who prescribed some medication to treat what her sister Mercedes Corby said was believed to be a stress-induced stomach upset.

Visitors who saw Corby yesterday said she was still pale and suffering from stomach cramps.

"She is still in pain and very stressed," her brother-in-law, Wayan Widiartha, said after visiting her with a friend. "She had to run to the toilet when we were talking to her."

Her parents and the Australian consul-general, Brent Hall, also visited Corby yesterday. Mr Hall said he had offered to help the family arrange for another doctor to conduct a full check-up.

Corby's lawyers were still in Jakarta after meeting the Justice Minister, Chris Ellison, to discuss the case, but told her by phone that another doctor may be called in to assess her on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Victorian prisoner who gave evidence at Corby's trial has been refused bail in the County Court. John Patrick Ford, 40, is facing charges including rape, threat to kill, stalking and intentionally causing serious injury. In refusing the application, Judge Roy Punshon said Ford's alleged offences were serious.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4037101 - 04/10/05 12:32 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby judge ignores luggage tampering
April 10, 2005
theage.com.au

A recent case of luggage tampering at Sydney Airport won't be considered at Schapelle Corby's drug smuggling trial in Bali, the chief judge says.

Judge Linton Sirait, the head of the three-judge panel hearing Corby's trial in the Denpasar District Court, says the court does not have to consider details of the tampering.

However, he believed defence lawyers might still try to use the incident to back up Corby's claim that Brisbane baggage handlers planted 4.1 kg of cannabis inside her unlocked bag for pick up in Sydney.

A Qantas baggage handler at Sydney Airport was sacked on Friday for removing the head of a camel costume from a passenger's luggage and wearing it on the tarmac.

Sirait said the court did not have to consider information from Australia in relation to Corby's case.

"The lawyers might use that in their arguments, but this raises the question of whether we must consider every occurrence in Australia in relation to Corby's case," he said.

"I don't think that we need to do so."

Corby, a 27-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast, faces possible death sentence if she is found guilty of trying to smuggle drugs into Bali airport in her unlocked bag last October.

Corby's defence team said the tampering would be brought before the court, but would only be used in summing up her claim that she was unwittingly used as a drug courier.

"It's too late to bring witnesses, but we can mention this in our closing arguments to bring it to the judges' attention," said Vasu Rasiah, an adviser to Corby's Indonesian lawyer.

He said the Sydney incident was a warning to the Australian government to improve security and prevent luggage tampering.

"It is time the Australian government opens their eyes. This (tampering) has been happening for a long time," he said.

Rasiah said he understood the Australian consulate had organised for a doctor to visit Corby in Kerobokan jail, near Denpasar, after she fell ill.

Corby's trial was last week adjourned until this Thursday to give her time to recover from diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Rasiah said Corby had been unwell but other factors had contributed to the adjournment.

"Our information was that the prosecution was not ready," he said.

"It was true that Schapelle was feeling a little under the weather, but the prosecution wasn't ready."

Last week's hearing had been expected to hear the prosecution's recommendations on what sentence Corby should be handed if she was found guilty of drug smuggling.

Those submissions are now expected to be heard on Thursday, when the case resumes.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer confirmed the Australian government had asked Indonesia not to impose the death penalty.

"In this particular case we've said to the Indonesians that we don't want the prosecution to press for the death sentence because we don't support capital punishment," he told the Ten network.

"In this case it's very debatable what may have happened.

"We've said this to the Indonesians all along, we don't want any Australians to face the death penalty in Indonesia, no matter what their crime."

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4043797 - 04/12/05 01:10 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

More baggage tampering claims emerge
April 12, 2005
tvnz.co.nz

Public letters claiming tampering with luggage at Australian airports will be used to help defend Schapelle Corby against drug smuggling charges in Bali.

Relatives of the Gold Coast woman said they had obtained letters from the Australian public revealing that a recent case of luggage tampering at Sydney Airport was not an isolated incident.

"The letters we've received proves this is happening," Mercedes Corby told AAP outside Bali's Kerobokan prison after visiting her sister with mother Rosleigh Rose and father Michael Corby.

"People have had cameras, video recorders, handphones and jewellery stolen."

She said the letters had been passed on to the family from other sources, including journalists in Australia.

Corby's mother, Rosleigh Rose, said people who had used padlocks to secure their luggage on Australian flights claimed the locks had been picked and their belongings tampered with.

The letters were expected to be shown to the media at a news conference organised by Corby's lawyers.

Corby, a 27-year-old former beauty student, faces a maximum punishment of death after being caught with 4.1 kg of cannabis inside her unlocked bodyboard bag at Bali airport last October.

Her lawyers claim Brisbane baggage handlers planted the stash for pick up in Sydney in a botched domestic trafficking operation.

Vasu Rasiah, an adviser to Corby's legal team, said hundreds of Australians had reported incidents of luggage tampering since a baggage handler at Sydney Airport was sacked for removing the head of a camel costume from a passenger's luggage and wearing it on the tarmac.

Rasiah said although it was too late to submit new evidence to the court, the defence would draw on the tampering reports to strengthen their closing argument, expected in a fortnight.

Corby's relatives were encouraged by the development.

"Everything's got to help a bit," Rose said. "This shows how common it is."

But Judge Linton Sirait, the head of the three-judge panel hearing Corby's case in Denpasar District Court, has said the court does not have to consider details of the tampering in relation to her trial on drug smuggling charges.

The trial was last week adjourned until this Thursday after Corby complained of what her relatives and lawyers said was stress-induced diarrhoea, vomiting, headache and stomach cramps.

She had seen two doctors and was taking medication to settle her stomach, but remained so weak that she could not fetch water from the prison well to enable her to bathe and flush the toilet in the cell, Rose said.

Her Indonesian cell-mates were carrying the pails of water for her.

"She's got a little colour back in her cheeks, but she is still very weak," Rose said.

Last week's hearing had been expected to hear the prosecution's recommendations on what sentence Corby should be handed if she was found guilty of drug smuggling.

Those submissions are now expected on Thursday, when the case resumes.

The Australian government has asked Indonesia not to impose the death penalty and is also looking into the possibility of repatriating her to serve any prison term in Australia.

A verdict is expected by mid-May.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4045680 - 04/12/05 12:22 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Indonesian consulate-general death threat
April 13, 2005
news.com.au

A LETTER and two bullets has been sent to the Indonesian consulate-general in Perth threatening to kill staff if Australian Schapelle Corby is not freed from a Bali jail.

"If Schapelle Corby is not released immediately you will all receive one of these bullets through the brain," the Australian newspaper reported the letter as saying.

"All Indonesians out now - go home you animals," the letter, which was sent a few days ago, said.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) had been informed of the threat, Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Yuri Thamrin told the paper.

"It's a very serious threat," he said.

On Thursday this week Bali prosecutors are expected to present their sentencing submission on Corby who is facing the death sentence after being caught with 4.1kg of marijuana in her body board bag at Denpasar airport in October last year.

West Australian police said the incident was being investigated but would not say if the consulate-general was being guarded.

"We don't discuss security matters," Sergeant Graham Clifford said.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4050468 - 04/13/05 01:11 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

No deals in Corby case
April 14, 2005
theaustralian.news.com.au

THE Howard Government's intervention in the Schapelle Corby drugs case appears to have had no effect, with the chief prosecutor declaring he had received no "overriding instructions" from Jakarta about the penalty he will seek in court today.

Ida Bagus Wiswantanu said he had heard nothing about Justice Minister Chris Ellison's meeting in Jakarta last week with Indonesia's Attorney-General, Abdurrahman Saleh, during which Senator Ellison raised the prospect that Mr Saleh could intercede in the Corby trial to ask for a lighter sentence should she be found guilty of drug trafficking.

"My advice is that under Indonesian law, the Attorney-General can make representations to the prosecution during the course of the case and that can relate to sentence," Senator Ellison said.

However, Mr Wiswantanu said he knew nothing about the Ellison meeting nor anything about an Australian request regarding the prosecution's submission.

Mr Wiswantanu said the prosecution's sentencing recommendations -- which could demand the death penalty -- remained entirely his own work.

"I know nothing about that (Ellison) meeting and I haven't received any orders from my superiors," he added. "So I don't know about any intervention. But for me, there's been no intervention."

The chief prosecutor in the Bali office, Muhammad Yusni, also said he had not been contacted by the Attorney-General's office in connection with the case.

His comments come a week after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told The Australian he was watching the Corby case closely and was determined justice would be done.

The prosecution team will today take turns reading the sentencing submission, which runs to more than 20 pages.

Some observers expect the prosecutors to recommend a heavy penalty, taking into account recent drug cases in Bali in which the prosecutors have recommended the death sentence.

At least two of the members of the Corby defence team were in Jakarta yesterday, yet one source said last-minute lobbying would prove fruitless since the prosecution's recommendation had already been approved.

Arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport last October, when a customs official found 4.1kg of marijuana in her unlocked body-board bag, the 27-year-old Gold Coast beauty school student has steadfastly maintained her innocence.

The prosecution was originally scheduled to read its sentencing demands to the court last Thursday, but Ms Corby told the judges she was too ill to continue with the trial.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Ms Corby's Indonesian legal team said yesterday a death threat against the Indonesian consulate in Perth demanding the immediate release of Ms Corby was damaging to her case.

Mr Downer has condemned those behind the threat, sent in a letter to the consulate containing two bullets.

The letter said: "If Schapelle Corby is not released immediately you will all receive one of these bullets through the brain."

Vasu Rasiah, an adviser to Ms Corby's legal team, said: "It is very negative, it is unwanted and we oppose this completely."

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4050486 - 04/13/05 01:13 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

$1 million reward for truth
April 14, 2005
smh.com.au

Gold Coast businessman Ron Bakir hopes to up the ante on the Schapelle Corby case by raising a $1 million reward for the truth.

And, to show his commitment, he committed $100,000 of his own money yesterday to get the ball rolling.

"I will be calling on businesses throughout Australia to donate $1000 towards the cause until we reach the $1 million target," Mr Bakir told AAP.

"Whoever comes forward with conclusive evidence will win the reward."

Corby, 27, is being held in a Bali jail awaiting the outcome of her trial on charges that she smuggled 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Denpasar airport last October.

She denies the charges, which could attract the death penalty, and claims the drugs were planted in her unlocked boogie board bag, probably by a baggage handler involved in an Australian drug ring.

Mr Bakir, who is bankrolling Corby's defence, got the reward idea from fellow businessman, Hervey Bay real-estate agent Ray Edward.

Mr Edward said if the baggage handling claims were true, someone had to know something.

He said he believed everyone had their price and he hoped a $1 million reward might be enough to push an informer forward - promising to donate $1000 from his own pocket towards the cause.

The idea of a reward comes as Corby's camp awaits the prosecution's final summation today.

They also have to deal with a rogue supporter who has threatened to kill staff at Perth's Indonesian consulate if Corby was not set free.

Mr Bakir said although the threat proved the frustration of the Australian people towards Corby's plight, they did not condone this kind of behaviour.

"It's definitely not going to help our case and we don't call upon these sorts of things and we don't agree with the method used," he said.

Mr Bakir said although the time for presenting evidence had passed, it was still not too late for someone to come forward with evidence to prove Corby's innocence.

Meanwhile, he said the defence was hopeful prosecutors would not seek the death penalty for Corby if she was found guilty.

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OfflineLiveByFreedom
Catalyst
 User Gallery

Registered: 03/21/05
Posts: 652
Loc: Mountains
Last seen: 17 years, 7 months
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4051812 - 04/13/05 06:29 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

I've been following this plite since i joined the boards, whole heartedly. It's too bad somebody had to send that threat to the indonesian government with 2 bullets, really stupid idea. Although i wish i could do away with those people, i think it hurt her case a little bit. I'm pretty confident that Schapelle Corby isn't going to get a firing squad, but may spend life in prison, which is SO sad. I'm hoping somebody confesses to knowing information about the ordeal, for a million bucks.

Veggie or anyone else, would you happen to know how i can write Schapelle Corby, or her family a letter?


--------------------
"Everything is not as it seems." Eye

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: LiveByFreedom]
    #4051834 - 04/13/05 06:38 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

Veggie or anyone else, would you happen to know how i can write Schapelle Corby, or her family a letter?




You can email Schapelle and her family here corby@schapellecorby.net

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4052215 - 04/13/05 08:38 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Will they seek death?
April 14, 2005
theage.com.au

In just hours, Schapelle Corby is expected to find out if she will face the death penalty if found guilty on drug charges.

Prosecutors will tell the Denpasar District Court what punishment the former Gold Coast beauty student should receive if convicted for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana in her bodyboard bag.

They were due to make their sentencing request last week but the hearing was adjourned after Corby complained she was ill. A member of her defence team, Vasu Rasiah, said her health remained poor.

A spokesman for Indonesian Attorney-General Abdurrahman Saleh yesterday declined to say whether his office had agreed with a request from Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison to ask prosecutors not to request the death penalty. The spokesman said Attorney-General had told prosecutors they should seek a sentence that was "proportional" to Corby's alleged offence.

Corby's supporters are trying to raise a $1 million reward for anyone with information that would clear the 27-year-old.

Gold Coast businessman Ron Bakir said he had posted a $100,000 reward and challenged other businessmen to donate $1000 to the fund.

"We have a case to complete and we are asking any Australian who might have any information that will clear Schapelle Corby's name to come forward," he told the Nine network.

"I've come and I've donated $100,000 and I ask for any businessman to come forward and assist in the donation of $1000 so we can make the reward $1 million.

"It's a very important case, there's a girl's life at stake and we look to help her.

"I ask anybody who has any information to please come forward."

Mr Bakir admitted time was running out, but Corby's defence team hoped to present as much information as possible to back its case during closing arguments next week.

"Since the last couple of weeks a lot of people have been coming out of the woodwork and giving us certain information," he said.

"It's unfortunate that our evidence has closed but we'll be trying to submit as much as we can next Thursday in our closing argument."

Mr Bakir said Corby's health was deteriorating daily.

"She's just stressed out, she's losing hope and as each day goes by she's just losing complete hope," he said.

Mr Bakir said a letter containing bullets sent to the Indonesian consulate in Perth and threatening to kill staff unless Corby was released from jail did not help Corby's case.

"The Australian public is outraged about what's been going on but generally this sort of stuff does not help us at all," he said.

"And we urge the people responsible to please reconsider their position, because it's not good."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also warned that the threat could harm Corby's case.

Security at the consulate has been stepped up.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4052590 - 04/13/05 10:28 PM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Corby carried into court by police
April 14, 2005
theage.com.au

Police had to carry Schapelle Corby through a throng of journalists outside a Bali court today, where she will hear if prosecutors want her put to death for alleged drug tafficking.

The 27-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast arrived handcuffed to an Indonesian female prisoner, who collapsed shortly after they were let out of the police van and mobbed by dozens of reporters.

Corby's sister Mercedes rushed in to help, yelling angrily at journalists to "Leave her alone!" before hitting an Indonesian reporter over the head with her handbag.

Police were forced to carry the two prisoners, still handcuffed, to a holding cell at Denpasar District Court where Corby's case again be heard today.

Corby appeared distressed as she arrived on one of the most important days of her trial.

She will learn today if prosecutors will seek the death penalty if she is convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Bali in her unlocked bodyboard bag last October. She has denied the charges.

Ultimately the decision lies with the panel of three judges hearing her case.

However, the general rule of thumb in Indonesia is that they will not go below one third of what the prosecution demands, and they rarely hand down a harsher punishment, observers said.

The Australian government has appealed to Indonesia for clemency.

In a similar case in Bali recently, prosecutors demanded the death penalty for a taxi driver who admitted possessing 3.9kg of marijuana.

Earlier today, a Gold Coast businessman supporting Corby's case, Ron Bakir, said he hoped she would make it to today's proceedings.

A hearing that had been scheduled for last week had to be put off after Corby fell ill, and Bakir today said she remained unwell.

Stress has been blamed for her deteriorating health over the course of the trial.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4052954 - 04/14/05 12:25 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

'Hysterical' Corby collapses, trial postponed for a week
April 14, 2005
smh.com.au

The trial of accused drug trafficker Schapelle Corby has been adjourned for another week amid hysterical scenes after Corby collapsed in the witness chair.

Corby appeared to faint as she sat for the opening of a trial day in which Indonesian prosecutors had been expected to reveal if they want her put to death.

She collapsed as scores of journalists and photographers crushed in around her in the Denpasar District Court, which was also packed with onlookers and Corby's family.

A doctor was immediately called by Australia's consul in Bali, Brent Hall.

Corby was laid on a witness bench when the female medic arrived for a hurried examination during a five minute court adjournment.

The three judges then postponed the trial for a week amid hysterical scenes and shouting, ordering Corby be returned to prison for examination by a doctor there and possibly taken to hospital.

Corby's sister Mercedes vaulted the public barrier in the court to comfort her sister, who she said had been "hysterical" ahead of the trial.

Her father Michael stood screaming at journalists and court officials amid the chaos, demanding they clear a space around his daughter.

The judges ordered a full medical report on Corby be filed by next Wednesday, a day ahead of the next trial day.

The 27-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast arrived at court handcuffed to an Indonesian female prisoner, who fainted shortly after they were let out of the police van and into a media crush, dragging the screaming Corby down as well.

Mercedes rushed in to help, yelling angrily at journalists to "Leave her alone, all of you!" before striking an Indonesian reporter over the head with her handbag.

Police were forced to carry the two prisoners, still handcuffed, to a holding cell.

Mercedes said her sister was "hysterical" and still suffering from stress and diarrhoea which forced the postponement of her trial appearance last week.

"Did you see her, getting carried like a baby, screaming and then being taken to the cell screaming?" she asked AAP.

Corby was to learn if prosecutors will seek the death penalty if she is convicted of smuggling 4.1 kg of cannabis into Bali in her unlocked bodyboard bag last October. She has denied the charges.

The Australian government has appealed to Indonesia for clemency.

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InvisibleMrMaddHatter
Dementia praecox
 User Gallery

Registered: 06/07/02
Posts: 1,420
Loc: Everywhere
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4053037 - 04/14/05 12:51 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

:sad: :mad2:

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4054155 - 04/14/05 10:25 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Bribery claimed in Corby case
April 15, 2005
thecouriermail.news.com.au

ACCUSED drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was taken to hospital in Bali last night as damaging suggestions of attempted bribery were aired.

Earlier yesterday, the Gold Coast beautician collapsed amid scenes of hysteria and chaos in court as she waited to hear if Indonesia wants to put her to death.

The dramatic collapse came as new claims were aired by her financial backer that Indonesian prosecutors had demanded cash in return for Corby's life.

Mobile phone mogul Ron Bakir, who is funding Corby's defence, yesterday said a group acting on behalf of the Indonesian prosecutors asked him to put up a bribe in return for a guarantee she would not face the firing squad.

"To be honest with you, it's an absolute disgrace, but anyhow, that's how it works," he said.

Mr Bakir said he was "100 per cent" certain the prosecution raised the possibility of a bribe, but the Indonesians claim it was the Corby side which suggested that money change hands.

The Courier-Mail understands a meeting between Corby's lawyers and members of the prosecution took place in Denpasar last week. The meeting was supposed to secure a guarantee that Corby, 27, would be spared the firing squad and instead serve a jail term in Australia in the event of her conviction.

Corby is awaiting the outcome of her trial on charges she smuggled 4.1kg of marijuana into Denpasar airport last October.

Mr Bakir's extraordinary claim provoked an angry reaction from Corby's Australian lawyer, who denied any knowledge of a bribe.

"It's news to me and absolute news to the Indonesian legal team," Robin Tampoe said.

"I will make this comment, I will make this clear. Ron is one of the nicest people in the world you will ever meet. He's funding the defence but he certainly isn't part of the defence team," she said.

Corby made her way from a holding cell to court amid chaotic scenes yesterday. An Indonesian woman handcuffed to her passed out and Corby fell with her.

Corby's sister Mercedes charged at the media throng, screaming at reporters to "leave her alone."

After being carried into court by guards, Corby briefly sat in the witness chair but again collapsed before the prosecution could reveal whether it would seek the death penalty or prison for her.

A doctor who treated Corby in court found she was suffering from high blood pressure. She was taken to hospital and her case was adjourned for another week.

The Australian Government claims it has done everything possible to help Corby avoid the death penalty, short of interfering in Indonesian affairs.

"I feel for anybody who is under the sort of stress she is under," Prime Minister John Howard said. "I just hope justice is done and she's treated fairly and decently and we have to have faith in the Indonesian justice system."

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4058560 - 04/15/05 11:25 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

Bribery claims may have condemned Corby
April 16, 2005
theadvertiser.news.com.au

THE man funding the defence of accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was yesterday fending off claims he may have doomed her to death.

Mobile phone mogul Ron Bakir made the extraordinary claim that Indonesian prosecutors in Corby's trial had asked him for a bribe in return for a guarantee that she would escape the death penalty.

But prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu yesterday furiously denied the corruption allegations, which threaten to undermine the 27-year-old woman's claims of innocence.

"That's a lie. That is a big lie,' Mr Wiswantanu said. "I am very angry about that."

Corby was yesterday due to be taken from Bali's Kerobokan Jail to hospital for a full medical check-up, which had been authorised by the court after she fainted on Thursday. By late afternoon she still had not left the jail.

Her sisters, Mercedes and Meleane, and mother, Rosleigh, visited her in prison for several hours.

Mercedes said her sister was "in a better state today but she is still not very good".

Head judge Linton Sirait vowed to protect the trial against corruption, saying the judges would "distance ourselves from people like that so that they have no chance to attempt any bribery". Corby faces a maximum penalty of death by firing squad if convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali last year.

Mr Bakir originally said he was approached by the prosecution during a private meeting and was asked for payment.

"To be honest with you, it's an absolute disgrace, but anyhow, that's the way it works," he said.

But the Gold Coast businessman later backed away from the statement. He said his words had been taken the wrong way but declined to explain what he really meant.

Defence lawyers said Mr Bakir's outburst could have damaged Corby's chances of receiving a jail term instead of death if she is convicted.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4062008 - 04/16/05 09:44 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

The secret note that may save Corby
April 17, 2005
dailytelegraph.news.com.au

A NOTE by a security official who died mysteriously after alleging drug-running at Sydney Airport has been delivered to lawyers for accused marijuana smuggler Schapelle Corby.

They claim the note is evidence supporting Corby's plea that she is an innocent victim of criminal networks using airports for drug trafficking.

Its author, former Australian Protective Services officer Gary Lee-Rogers, was found dead in his Queanbeyan flat in October, 2002.

An autopsy was unable to ascertain the cause of death, but Mr Lee-Rogers' family and whistle-blowers believe he was murdered after allegedly uncovering corruption in the APS's operations at the airport.

Lawyers for Gold Coast beautician Schapelle Corby told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday they intended to use this latest information in final submissions to the Indonesian court where Corby is facing a possible death sentence.

Her legal team has received hundreds of letters and e-mails alleging interference with luggage at airports since the claims were raised by Victorian prisoner John Ford.

A coronial finding into his death is due to be handed down at Queanbeyan on Wednesday.

In e-mails to friends, Mr Lee-Rogers predicted he would be killed because of what he had allegedly discovered and said his death would be covered up as a suicide.

One e-mail said he had received an anonymous phone call warning that "I had tripped over evidence of drug importation though Sydney Airport involving the old Commonwealth Police network."

He alleged the caller had gone on to name two APS officers. The APS was responsible for security at airports and Commonwealth buildings until 2002, when it was folded into the Australian Federal Police.

The e-mail was passed on to Corby's legal team by Whistleblowers Australia president Dr Jean Lennane, who said it might be a clue to his death.

"What we have here is a man who has died in mysterious circumstances after raising concerns about airport security," Dr Lennane said.

A member of Corby's defence team, Gold Coast lawyer Matthew Gibson, said the Lee-Rogers document backed up claims something was awry at the airport.

Corby was arrested after 4.1kg of marijuana was discovered in her boogie board bag at Bali airport.

Mr Lee-Rogers was in charge of security training at Sydney airport before the 2000 Olympics.

But his career collapsed when he warned his superiors about security problems within the APS, including racketeering, the promotion of badly trained officers and misappropriation of government funding.

Evidence at his inquest revealed an APS audit had found 47 revolvers, two rifles, six shotguns, 30 sets of handcuffs and 18 batons had disappeared, along with computers and cameras.

In the week before his death, the 47-year-old was badly bashed and claimed an AFP officer had put a gun to his mouth.

Mr Lee-Rogers' former de facto, Kathleen Mills, said she hoped the inquest's findings would bring some relief after three years of torment.

Businessman Ron Bakir, who is bankrolling Corby's defence, said the note was important evidence.

"It'll help prove that the girl has been set up. There's been a drug-trafficking problem at the airport, but she's a victim," he said.

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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
Re: 27 year old faces death for marijuana [Re: veggie]
    #4064347 - 04/17/05 01:05 AM (18 years, 11 months ago)

AFP accused of Corby cover-up
April 17, 2005
theage.com.au

Lawyers for Schapelle Corby have accused Australian police of a cover-up and warned their "bewildering" lack of cooperation may have condemned the former beauty student to 27 years in a Bali jail.

Revelations a former airport security officer tipped authorities off to a domestic drug-running operation at Sydney Airport, before he mysteriously died in 2002, proved the Australian Federal Police knew more than they were admitting, said an adviser to Corby's team, Vasu Rasiah.

Former Australian Protective Services (APS) officer Gary Lee-Rogers was found dead in his Queanbeyan flat in October 2002 after alerting authorities to the racket in a letter.

His family and whistle-blowers believe he was the victim of a revenge murder.

"This letter is just bewildering. This AFP is startling us from the beginning," Vasu said.

Corby's legal team had only recently asked the AFP and Justice Minister Chris Ellison to confirm to Indonesia's attorney general that they were investigating an airport drug racket in Australia, possibly accounting for how 4.1kg of marijuana ended up in her travel luggage.

Indonesian authorities required official notification of the investigation before they could take Corby's defence that the drugs were planted in her bag into account, Vasu said.

"The AFP woman with him just shrugged," he said.

"The minister never asked (for the Indonesians) to take all things into consideration.

"The AFP all the way along has been the biggest obstruction in this case. Why are they lying so much?"

Vasu said Corby's lawyers would present the letter to judges and prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu this week.

Wiswantanu, who last week lashed out at hints he tried to bribe defence lawyers, is set to outline his sentence request after a two-week delay caused by an illness Corby contracted.

But Vasu said the evidence may have come too late to reinforce Corby's plea to being a unwitting drug courier used by criminal gangs, as a verdict is now due in weeks.

"It's a little late, but we won't give up," Vasu said, warning the prosecutor was set on demanding a 27-year life sentence for Corby and one billion rupiah (A$133,000) fine.

He said the AFP should explain to the Australian public why they had refused to assist Indonesian authorities with finger-printing the plastic bag containing the marijuana.

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty should also explain why he had so readily dismissed evidence from a Victorian prisoner alleging an airport drug-running ring when he had then gone straight out and launched an investigation into the supposedly "hearsay" claims.

"Are they going to allow this cover-up forever?" he said.

"Why do they bullshit the people all the time?"

Vasu said lawyers had asked for Corby to be given police protection at her appearance this week after she was caught in a media crush on her way into court last Thursday. The hearing was abandoned in chaos after Corby collapsed.

The Sunday Telegraph said that in emails to friends, Gary Lee-Rogers predicted he would be killed because of what he had allegedly discovered.

He said his death would be covered up as a suicide.

The APS was responsible for security at airports and Commonwealth buildings until 2002, when it became part of the AFP.

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