Shappelle Corby

'Smuggling pot gets you 20 years in Indonesia. In other news, the Bali Bombers (Bashir) only got 30 months. Hurray for justice! '


Schapelle Leigh Corby, a 28 year old Australian arrested on October 8, 2004 for allegedly transporting 4.1 kg of marijuana from Australia to Bali, Indonesia. Customs officials at the Denpassar airport discovered the marijuana in her boogie board bag. Schapelle was sentenced 20 years imprisonment on May 27th 2005 in the Denpassar district court.

Despite legal appeals calling for her release, Schapelle Corby remains interned in Kerobokan Prison [Bali]. She steadfastly maintains her innocence!

And all the evidence prooves that she is innocent, and even if she wasn't, 20 years imprisonment is a great injustice. But for an innocent victim of bag smuggling, it is a nightmare.

The worst part of her case was that the onus was on her to prove that she was innocent, and the burden of proof was not 'beyond a reasonable doubt' as it would have been in Australia, but rather 'on the balance of probabilities', which means that the court convicted her because they thought she MIGHT have done it, not because they DEFINATELY know she done it. How is that justice?

What caused Australians to react so emotionally when Schappelle was sentenced to 20 years is the clear fact that she is innocent. How can any fair court that is said to uphold justice overlook the points (below) that prove not only that she is innocent, but in the least, that there is more than 'reasonable doubt'.

1. There was evidence from John Ford, the remand prisoner who claimed to have overheard jail conversations regarding a drug ring that planted the drugs in Corby's bag.

2. There was evidence from Scott Speed, an Australian baggage handler, about airport corruption.

3. There was also a letter from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which comprised allegations of baggage-handler corruption.

4. The price of dope is far cheaper in Indonesia (so why would she take it there? To make a 'loss' of 800%)

5. Federal Transport Minister John Anderson said there was no link between the case of Schapelle Corby and a Customs report highlighting major problems of drug trafficking at Sydney Airport.

6. Schappelles father gave evidence that he saw her pack her own bag.

7. Schappelle does not have a prior criminal record.

8. When asked if the surf bag was hers, she openly addmitted with a smile that it was hers (because she didnt know what was in it).

9. The weight of her luggage in brisband didn't match that in bali.

10. Brisband airport confirmed that her luggage was x-rayed and no contraban was found (Since the luggage was sent to the aircraft after being checked in, how can she put the dope in it before arriving in bali?).

11. At no time during Schapelle's arrest did any Indonesian authorities wear protective gloves, nor did they bother to finger print her boogey board bag, or test the cannabis as you would expect any law enforcement agency to do ("What hope does an Australian citizen ever have to a fair trial when these basic protocols are not even followed?")

12. The Indonesian Authorities destroyed the evidence by burning the marijuana (They didn't even allow her lawyers to fully exhaust all avenues of appeal before they destroyed the evidence that has yet to be tested).

13. Other Australians have been shocked to discover dope in thier luggage on arrival in Indonesia.


It seems pretty obvious that not only is she innocent, but there is enormous (more than reasonable) doubt. To make things even worse, the Judge of her case said that he didnt even convict her based on the evidence. What type of justice is that? A king cutting off someones head would be more 'just' compared to the injustice delivered by the Indonesian 'injustice' system.

Fact: Shappelle corby is a political prisoner. Although deep down in the Judges hearts they may feel that she is innocent (like any reasonable human being would), they were directed to use her as an example to display to the world that Indonesia does not tollerate drugs.

Fact: Most Indonesian prisoners do not live more than 10 years in due to the appalling conditions of Indonesian Jails.

Fact: A husband who murded his wife by stabbing her 61 times was only sentenced to two years imprisionment in Indonesia.

Fact: The Bali Bomber was only sentenced to 30 month.

Fact: A Custom’s officer who has a poor command of English seemingly managed to understand everything Schappelle Corby said to him. The court did rely on this evidence.

Fact: The Indonesian government allowed Schappelle's trial judge to sit on the bench at her appeal (something that would never happen in Australia)