Article from Herald Sun
March 29, 2008 12:00am
Schapelle Corby's clemency plea last hope
INDONESIA'S Supreme Court has rejected Schapelle Corby's final appeal against her 20-year sentence for drug trafficking.
It was her last legal avenue to have her sentence overturned.
The only other avenue is a plea for clemency to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which requires an admission of guilt.
However, Mr Yudhoyono has previously said he opposes granting pardons for drugs crimes.
Bali prosecutor Wiswantanu, who opposed the appeal at hearings in Denpasar District Court in August 2006, was not surprised by the decision.
"There was no new evidence, so it's normal if the Supreme Court decision is like that," Mr Wiswantanu said.
"(My feelings) are casual. In handling cases, we are not looking for winning or losing, we are just seeking the truth.
"If the truth is like that (in the case), it will stay that way (in the appeal)."
Corby is serving 20 years in Bali's Kerobokan prison for trafficking 4.1kg of marijuana to Bali.
Corby's lawyer, Erwin Siregar, said he had heard about the decision, but declined to comment until he had further details of the court's ruling.
"I know that, but, for the time being, I'm not going to give a comment yet, because I haven't seen the sentence yet," he said.
"I've heard that my extraordinary appeal was rejected, but no comment yet from me."
Corby, a former beauty student, has always claimed her innocence, insisting she did not know about the marijuana found in her bodyboard bag when she flew into Bali's airport in October 2004.
Corby's judicial review claimed she was the innocent victim of baggage handlers involved in moving drugs around Australia.
The 19-page appeal document also claimed there were mistakes and discrepancies by the judges who convicted her.
Her lawyers argued she should have been acquitted because judges did not distinguish between importing, owning and using marijuana.
They said prosecutors could only prove she was in possession of the drugs, not that she was importing them.
Corby's lawyers also argued the sentence was too harsh compared with punishments handed down for similar offences elsewhere in Indonesia.
Corby's stint in prison has been surrounded by controversy, including claims aired on Australian television recently that she had dined with her sister in a Bali restaurant.
Corby denied the reports.
Diigo
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