Schapelle Corby

[jenny61_99]

I have family who work at the Ariport in 2 different areas.

For the life of me I cant fathom how it went unnoticed at Brisbane Airport on check in.That does not happen, period. If it was there in Brisbane it would have been found, screened, xrayed. All overseas baggage at brisbane Airport is xrayed.

Also cant work out why Qantas disposed of the video evidence of the passage through Sydney Airport.

I think they said on the documentary that the x-rays weren't working that day?? Could be wrong though. And what are the odds?

Crow-mo and Deano.. yep you are right - my apologies... it is the check-in folk that take the bags and ask if they are yours. It is always such an innocuous question that I never really pay attention and clearly Ive become blaze over the years . All I remember is it certainly isn't done by customs officials on departure. Don't forget though that the Boogie board was checked in at the over-sized counter - not the normal baggage counter. I wonder if they remember to ask the same question?

I found this interesting BLOG written not long after Michelle Leslie was caught with ecstacy:

The Indonesian government recently announced that the police in Bali would soon be conducting random drug tests to capture, convict, and then incarcerate any and all Western tourists under the influence of illegal narcotics. Anyone, anywhere can be ordered to pee in a cup, which is then tested for pot, ecstasy, opiates and perhaps even Bintang. The Western tourist is then arrested, hauled down to jail, run through a kangaroo court, and then thrown into the Kerobokan prison for a dozen years or so.

Few Western tourists actually arrive in Bali with drugs, since Kuta and other beach towns are overrun with local Balinese drug dealers who quietly whisper their sales offers near many discos and nightclubs in Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak. So you buy a couple of tablets, walk up to the nightclub for an evening of partying, and find yourself searched and arrested at the front door. An Australian model (Michelle Leslie) was recently arrested with two tabs of E in her purse as she approached a nightclub, and now faces 10 years in prison.

How in the world does the police know to search your bag or purse? The answer is obvious. The police are the drug dealers in Bali. Or at least the drug dealers cooperate with the police to turn in their victims, collect the reward, and most likely enjoy the return of their drugs. This scam has been going on in Thailand for several decades, but now it enjoys official endorsement by the Indonesian government.

My thoughts on all this are:

• there are enough unanswered questions to create a level of reasonable doubt that Schapelle actually had direct knowledge of the existence of the drugs in the bag;
• the family comes across very badly however this should not automatically condemn them, though it clearly raises more questions than it answers;
• who cares if the family are "surrounded" by people who smoke/sell/use pot. Aren't we all????
• set ups and corrupt officials are a fact of life in Bali; I am not saying the ones involved in this case were, just that they exist thereby creating some level of doubt.
• I am a strong believer in you do the crime, you do the time. If you are stupid enough to attempt to bring drugs into a country with some of the harshest penalties for doing so, then more fool you. I am just not absolutely convinced that Schapelle Corby did.

Interesting to note (and off topic) that some of those convicted of involvement in the Bali bombings in which 202 people died (88 of them Australian), served a sentence one quarter that of Corby and are now free, not to mention the hopelessly inadequate 30 month sentence of the Muslim cleric group involved in the attacks (Abu Bakar Ba'asyir ).

 

[Crow-mo]

My thoughts on all this are:

• there are enough unanswered questions to create a level of reasonable doubt that Schapelle actually had direct knowledge of the existence of the drugs in the bag;

actually there aren't.

there are virtually no relevant and reasonable unanswered questions. there are plenty of vague inferences, but no real questions.

* Did you pack your bags yourself?
- yes
* are these your bags?
- yes
* what is this?
- erm
* how do you explain it?
- erm
* well if you're not sure, then off you go.

if that's an acceptable defense every drug trafficker and user in the country has carte blanche to do what they want.

the iron clad "erm" defense strikes again.

 

[DeanoT]

My thoughts on all this are:



there are enough unanswered questions to create a level of reasonable doubt that Schapelle actually had direct knowledge of the existence of the drugs in the bag;


As you state, this is only your thoughts, and not necessarily that of many others. We will have to agree to disagree on this. The Indonesian court, and many Australians, clearly did.


the family comes across very badly however this should not automatically condemn them, though it clearly raises more questions than it answers;

I agree that her dubious family background proves nothing, but it is no less circumstantial than any of the counter arguments employed to create doubt about her guilt.



who cares if the family are "surrounded" by people who smoke/sell/use pot. Aren't we all????


Not sure about you, but I certainly do not associate with such people. I would add that she was not only surrounded by pot users, but also several of her family and associates have been charged with criminal offenses relating to drugs, including dealing. A significant difference, in my opinion. Again, this proves nothing, but doesn't exactly help her case either.


set ups and corrupt officials are a fact of life in Bali; I am not saying the ones involved in this case were, just that they exist thereby creating some level of doubt.


An incredibly racist, and baseless generalisation. Corruption exists at every level in every country, including here in Australia. What you consider to be corruption, in other countries is considered culture, acceptable business practice etc. But you are attempting to draw a connection between this and Corby's potential innocence. A weak, and highly ineffective connection.

As others have already stated, if such corruption is so rife, then why isn't every second westerner being falsely set up on drugs charges in order to extort money ? Is she really that unlucky ? I don't know of any other westerners falsely accused on drugs charges in Bali due to corruption and setups. So why her ?


I am a strong believer in you do the crime, you do the time. If you are stupid enough to attempt to bring drugs into a country with some of the harshest penalties for doing so, then more fool you. I am just not absolutely convinced that Schapelle Corby did.


Agree with your first statement. The problem here is that Australians tend to take a very one-sided (some might say racist) argument in relation to crime and punishment. If a foreigner commits a crime in Australia, we expect them to suffer the consequences which Australian courts decide, and to take it on the chin, regardless of what is considered acceptable practice in the defendant's country of origin.

But when an Australian criminal commits an offense overseas, we are very quick to leap to their defense, and claim that the punishments handed out by the Indonesians and others are barbaric, primitive and discriminatory. If you are in their country, you observe and respect their laws. If you don't have faith in their judicial system, don't go there, or if you do, don't complain that the system doesn't work like it does in Australia.


Interesting to note (and off topic) that some of those convicted of involvement in the Bali bombings in which 202 people died (88 of them Australian), served a sentence one quarter that of Corby and are now free, not to mention the hopelessly inadequate 30 month sentence of the Muslim cleric group involved in the attacks(Abu Bakar Ba'asyir ).


I know what you are getting at here, but it is irrelevant to assessing the fairness of Corby's sentence. Consistency and fairness are weaknesses in every judicial system, including our own.

Many Australians can't possibly imagine how trafficking marijuana can be compared to committing mass murder via bombings. Clearly, many south east asian nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to name but a few, consider trafficking to be one of the most serious crimes.

The fact that most Australians have a slightly different viewpoint on this counts for nothing, and so it should. What Australians think doesn't matter, because we do not, and should not, have any say in the legal processes of another sovereign nation.

Could you imagine the outcry, if the President of Indonesia started handing out instructions to Australia on our treatment of Indonesians committing serious crime in Australia. We would promptly, and not so politely, inform him of what he could do with his opinion, as they do to us when we question their legal system.

I would add that the old adage of risk and return is quite relevant in these situations. Drug traffickers stand to make a lot of money to do these things. This kind of money can't be made by trafficking between two nations which take a light approach to trafficking.

Get away with it and you will do well. Get caught and you're in a world of pain. You can't get that kind of money to ship drugs from Sydney to Auckland.

 

[WheresGroomgone]

My thoughts on all this are:

• there are enough unanswered questions to create a level of reasonable doubt that Schapelle actually had direct knowledge of the existence of the drugs in the bag;
• the family comes across very badly however this should not automatically condemn them, though it clearly raises more questions than it answers;
• who cares if the family are "surrounded" by people who smoke/sell/use pot. Aren't we all????
• set ups and corrupt officials are a fact of life in Bali; I am not saying the ones involved in this case were, just that they exist thereby creating some level of doubt.
• I am a strong believer in you do the crime, you do the time. If you are stupid enough to attempt to bring drugs into a country with some of the harshest penalties for doing so, then more fool you. I am just not absolutely convinced that Schapelle Corby did.

[
Interesting to note (and off topic) that some of those convicted of involvement in the Bali bombings in which 202 people died (88 of them Australian), served a sentence one quarter that of Corby and are now free, not to mention the hopelessly inadequate 30 month sentence of the Muslim cleric group involved in the attacks (Abu Bakar Ba'asyir ).

1.This is a generalisation that many Australians hold due to their minimal dealings with Balinese Police and what they have read on Suharto. The local police are known to supplement their income by picking up western tourists for not wearing helmets when on scoooters, not riding to the Indo rules etc etc but this is junk money perhaps up to 50,000 rupiah, which is under ten dollars Aussie. So two points, firstly they generally do pick up tourists but they are actually doing their jobs it may be pedantic and or a scam but in most cases the tourists are thinking they will get away with it, those picked up wouldn't do it in Australia,England Canada or the States but this is Indonesia so they give it a go and then cry coruption, so although a money making exercise in most cases they are in the right to pick these crew up. Second point is that it is for very little money in our terms by no means huge dollars, at Govt levels pay offs to get the go ahead on buildings etc bigger money may be involved but this is not affecting peoples lives it is just how things are done and is not vindictive. No doubt similar things are done in the business world here in Australia to speed up processes. This form of "corruption" is a long way away from setting up some "innocent" tourist or paying off the law courts to find her guilty.

2.The Bali bombings of 2002 where an absolutely dog act and one that I was connected to in a number of ways, however is this really the reason you seem so down on the Indonesian legal system and officials?? The two events are completely and utterly seperate apart from the fact that they occurred on the same island, those involved directly will pay a higher price than SC.

 

[haywood jablome]

Jenny darling, I don't know if I have told you this but the level of scepticism and irrational hatred that drips from each tear Schapelle shed can only support the view that crocodiles were crying dry eyed. Schapelle has attempted to manipulate the view others hold of her by strategically and knowingly changing the way she behaved, her sister also has dingle berries.

 

[That's deliberate]

Questions

When did she or any of her colleagues notice that the said bag was bursting at the seams with gunja?

Was it when the corrupt customs officer asked her..geez love can we have a looksey into that bag and ohh what have we here?...if so she is free to go, no further questions and sorry for holding you up , enjoy the rest of your stay in Bali and we'll get to the bottom of this, it's obviously Gomez the rap dancing baggage handler back to his old tricks again.

Maybe she would have alerted officials when she got to her brother in laws place and was unpacking. Im sure Mercedes and Husband would have alerted police immediately.

It's a freaking board bag which is bursting at the seams with gunja, you didn't notice it when you went to pick it up you low life bogan.?

Nothing gave it away?

Didn't notice the bag felt considerably heavier when you picked it up?

You lugged it around for 20 minutes and carried it half a kilometer around Denpesar Airport and at no stage did you notice it and report it to the Customs officials who are located everywhere?

Geez you were quick to notice it when you tried getting it through customs, how did this sudden recognition occur?

I tell you what here's some time , say 20 years, to think about what really happened and maybe when you learn to tell the truth we may consider an earlier release...until then, we hope your stay in Bali is an enjoyable one.

It is not the responsibility of the indonesian judiciary system to investigate how the gunja got there....they found it and found the person trafficking it.

It is the responsibility of the person with her finger in the jar to explain what she is doing carrying it, and if it is not hers why is she attempting to get through customs with it...if it is not yours why havent you reported it yourself prior to trying to get through customs with it?

Or would some of you have us believe that we can turn up to a Foreign country with 15 tonnes of this stuff and simply say ....wha? i don't know how it got in my bag? it's not mine?....

There is reasonable doubt....wtf? Do you know what 5 kilos of this shit looks like? and you recon you wont notice it hanging out of your bag..

well whose is it?

The baggage handlers?
Gomez the rap dancing corrupt customs officer?

well?....come on ? out with it...so you want us to let you go free and yet you want us to come up with the evidence to prove it's not yours aswell.

Your lugging it around, it is your bag, you havent noticed anything unusual about the bag you are carrying, you don't report it to the hundreds of officials in the immediate vacinity, you proceed through customs and still notice nothing, and yet you want us to come up with a reasonable explanation on how it got in your bag.

Your defence Team admits, your story was a croc of balony

Oncemore after 4 years in the clinka you still havent come to your senses and still refuse to admit guilt...well take your time love.....you've got another 16 years to think about it.