editorial comment Of course, smuggling pot is much worse than murdering people with bombs in Bali. Nice country!

SCHAPELLE Corby was dealt a shattering blow when three Balinese judges shut down her reopened drugs trial yesterday and refused to grant lawyers more time to find new witnesses.

Another judge also ruled out the possibility of Australian witnesses, linked to drug trafficking, giving evidence by videolink.

The judge insisted witnesses must give evidence in person even though they could be prosecuted under Indonesian law.

Corby broke down in the packed Denpasar District Court after the rulings were handed down.

But one of Corby's lawyers, Erwin Siregar, said last night the rejection referred to a request made last week and a fresh application would be made today.

He said the new request would be based on advice received from Justice Minister Chris Ellison in a letter sent yesterday that a Victorian prisoner known only as "Paul" had agreed to testify.

Earlier, two Qantas staff had told the court they checked in Corby's baggage at Brisbane airport and noticed nothing unusual.

Howard Parr, a Qantas customer service agent, who checked in Corby's luggage, testified his work records indicated the bags had been accepted as normal and there was no record of any bags being rejected or noted as suspicious.

The judges asked whether the bags would have been X-rayed before leaving Brisbane. Mr Parr said he did not work in security but he understood probably not.

Ricky Clark, who worked in oversize luggage on October 8, testified that if there had been any strong smell emanating from a bag he would question it, but records showed this had not occurred.

Defence lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea, who said he had written to everybody in Australia except "the kangaroo and Kylie Minogue", implored the District Court to give him more time to get witnesses but two hours after the new trial began yesterday the gavel came down.

Corby's defence team must now lodge a new appeal and ask for an extension from the Bali High Court.

The 28-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast was sentenced on May 27 to 20 years in jail for trying to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali last year.

Mr Hutapea said outside court that the Australian Government seemingly did not want Corby freed. "Your country, your people, always think you are the best human beings on the earth, but in fact your bloody airport (is) sending all marijuana to my own country," he said. "So don't say any more that Australians are the most human law-abiders. In fact, your front yard is very dirty."

In his ruling, High Court Chief Judge I Gusti Made Lingga singled out evidence from Victorian former jail inmate Ronnie Vigenser, who has been accused of, but denies being the owner of the drugs.

"Vigenser must be heard directly because aside from being a witness he could be charged for his actions in smuggling the marijuana into Indonesia," he wrote.

Adding to the complications of yesterday's aborted hearing, Mr Hutapea accused the prosecution of losing more than half a kilogram of the 4.1kg drug stash.

As judges and lawyers crowded around, the defence team produced a set of bathroom scales that appeared to show the bag of drugs had dropped to 3.6kg.

The smell of marijuana pervaded the courtroom and prompted the prosecutor to urge it be closed, but not before Mr Hutapea had taken a big whiff and dramatically recoiled, holding his nose.

back | to top | full article >>