My life is over, says Corby

By Matthew Moore, Rob Taylor. Denpasar April 22, 2005. Taken from The Age Newspaper Online.

Schapelle Corby hears a prosecutor's demand that she be jailed for life.

Prosecutors dismiss Schapelle Corby's claims of innocence, saying she is guilty of bringing marijuana into Bali.

A distraught Schapelle Corby turned to her Balinese interpreter and whispered, "My life is over," as a prosecutor yesterday urged a panel of judges to jail her for the rest of her life.

Prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu asked the Denpasar District Court to find Corby, 27, "legally and convincingly guilty" of attempting to smuggle 4.2 kilograms of marijuana into Bali last year in her bodyboard bag.

"The defendant's actions can ruin the image of Bali as a tourist destination," he told the three judges who will determine her fate. "The defendant's actions can make Bali look like a drug haven and affect young people's lives."

Mr Wiswantanu said he had not asked for the death penalty, partly because the former beauty student had been polite during her trial and had no record of drug offences.

But he maintained that the prosecution team had proven Corby's guilt despite her repeated pleas of innocence and claims that she had been the unwitting victim of a drug ring operating at Australian airports.

He also asked the court to impose a 100 million rupiah ($13,500) fine.

The prosecutor's final submission in the Corby trial came as Indonesian police revealed new details of their case against the nine young Australians arrested on Sunday over an alleged heroin smuggling conspiracy.

Two of the accused Australians have told police that Andrew Chan - the 21-year-old Sydney man alleged by Indonesian authorities to be the "godfather" of the operation - had threatened to kill the families of the smugglers in Australia if they did not follow his orders.

"They said they are very scared of Chan," said Bambang Sugiarto, head of Bali's drug squad.

In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Government would plead for clemency if any of the Bali nine were sentenced to death - a vow he has also given in the Corby case.

Mr Downer expressed relief after hearing that the Corby prosecutors had not sought the death penalty. "We had made contact with the Indonesian Government and made it clear to them that we didn't want to see any Australians sentenced to death if they were to be found guilty," he said.

Before proceedings began yesterday in the Corby case, her lawyer, Lily Lubis, and adviser Vasu Rasiah talked to her in the holding cell.

"I told her to be strong, to be ready for whatever happened, and that this is not the end," Ms Lubis said before the hearing began.

Having collapsed with stress and illness during her last two court appearances, Corby was given a sedative before arriving at the court in a prison bus yesterday. For most of the two hours she stayed composed in the heavy tropical heat, biting her lip and brushing away the waves of tears that came as the final words from the prosecutor got closer.

"We state that the defendant, Schapelle Corby, is legally and convincingly guilty for having committed crimes... importing narcotics," Mr Wiswantanu said.

As they took turns reading the summary of the case, three prosecutors rejected all the key evidence Corby's lawyers produced in their attempt to show that someone placed the bag of marijuana in her bodyboard bag while she was on her way to Bali in October.

The testimony of Victorian prisoner John Patrick Ford - that a convicted drug dealer was the owner of the marijuana - was flatly rejected. "Looking at his background as a prisoner, the reason for him to testify before an Indonesian court is to taste freedom," the prosecutors said.

The evidence from Bond University professor of criminology Paul Wilson, that he could tell from meeting Corby that she did not know the drugs were in her luggage, was also dismissed. "His opinion is not based on accurate research on the defendant and her background."

Prosecutors also criticised evidence from three of Corby's travelling companions, who testified there was no marijuana in Corby's luggage when she checked in her bag at Brisbane airport.

Mr Wiswantanu said he took into account the fact "the defendant is polite and has never been convicted".

But he said: "The 4.2 kilograms of marijuana is a great danger for the nation and this is categorised as a transnational crime and the defendant has not confessed to her actions."

Ms Lubis cried during the hearing and said afterwards the prosecutors had ignored good evidence that the defence had produced.

Corby will produce her defence statement next week, with a verdict likely at the end of May .

Although the judges have the power to find Corby not guilty, or to impose a death penalty, Indonesian legal observers have said both options are unlikely and Corby appears likely to get a long sentence.

As the hearing ended, Corby went straight to the public gallery, grabbed her sister Mercedes and said as they hugged, "It's not fair," before being led away by guards.

As she waited in her cell for the prison van, Corby cried and her cousin Melissa Younger was allowed to stroke her face through the bars and offer words of comfort. "I told her to be strong and that I love her," Ms Younger said.

Corby's Australian lawyer, Robin Tampoe, said the defence team had expected the prosecution's demand and now had a week to respond. "I told her to keep her chin up," he said.

Mr Downer later held out the prospect of Corby transferring to an Australian jail, saying, "We are talking to the Indonesians now about a prisoner exchange agreement." But he said it could take "a couple of years".