Schapelle Corby
"Saya Tidak Bersalah" (I'm not guilty) -Schapelle Corby

Friday, April 20, 2012

Who Is Schapelle Corby and Why Should I Care?

Schapelle Corby is a 34 year old Australian woman who has been imprisoned on the island of Bali since 2004. In October of that year she was arrested by Bali customs agents when it was discovered there was over 9 pounds of marijuana in a large 'boogie-board' bag she had brought with her from Australia. She claimed at the time that the bag was hers but had no knowledge of the marijuana being in her bag. She was arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle the drug into Bali. The following year (2005) she was convicted by an Indonesian court and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Corby has always maintained that the marijuana was not hers and that it must have been planted in her bag without her knowledge. Although that claim may appear a bit lame to some people- it should be taken into consideration that such things do happen. Unsuspecting travelers have been used before by drug dealers to get their goods through customs and then retrieve the drugs later when it is safe to do so. It should be pointed out that the Indonesian court did not 'prove' that Corby was responsible for the marijuana. She was convicted solely on the fact that it was found in a bag belonging to her, and no evidence could be presented that 'proved' the marijuana was planted by someone else. As they say in the U.S. : Possession in 9/10th of the law.

The main purpose of this forum however, is not to prove the innocence or guilt of Schapelle Corby (although I am sure attempts will be forthcoming). Rather, it is the fact that her sentence was so harsh, considering Corby was not a known drug dealer and had no prior convictions in Bali or Australia. Also there is ample evidence that Schapelle Corby's mental and emotional health has been declining for the last several years in prison. She was hospitalized for severe depression in 2008 and 2009, and has been on anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs for some time now. A prison sentence is never meant to destroy a person, yet some people decline rapidly in such an environment, with some eventually losing their grip on reality.

In 2010 Corby appealed to the president of Indonesia for clemency. The Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Ministry also recommended that Schapelle Corby be granted clemency on humanitarian grounds. This is now in the hands of the Indonesian president who has the final say in the matter. It is my hope that Dr. Yudhoyono will show mercy to Schapelle Corby (who is now in declining health) and grant her outright release, or at the very least, greatly reduce her sentence. After Corby serving 8 years in a foreign prison, this is not a 'get out of jail free' card, 8 years is not a drop in the bucket; releasing her is simply the humanitarian thing to do.


One should remember that if Schapelle Corby is indeed innocent, then this is truly a nightmare that needs to be remedied. It is something that can happen to any traveler- anywhere in the world, and in the future it may be you, or may be me. Yet innocence or guilt aside- Corby's situation is one that calls for compassion. Those with empathy need no proof of this, and the cold-hearted will always turn away with indifference.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a proof of her innocence is to underline that 2004 MJ mean price was 5042$/Kg in Australia and 140 $/Kg in Bali. Schapelle alleged operation of buying 4.2 Kg of cannabis in Australia to sell it in Bali would have cost to her almost 20590 $.
So is if Schapelle was really guilty she was not a drug dealer but a missionary who spended a lot of money to convert Bali people to cannabis.

Saint_Michael1 said...

It is true that the price of marijuana is much lower in Bali than Australia which makes one wonder why anyone would try and smuggle over 9 pounds of it into Bali. There are really bigger questions than just the price of weed in Bali that make me believe Corby is innocent. The bigger questions involve Australian government cover-ups and withholding of important information which could have helped Corby's case. I am also alarmed by the coverage of the Corby case by the Australian media and with Australian network ABC which appear to have government ties. I will be addressing all these things in future posts.

Anonymous said...

There is also a huge media censorship about expendable project. The Australian Federation seems to me more similar to George Orwell's Oceania than a western democracy.

Saint_Michael1 said...

Well I am not sure how long expendable could be censored and I doubt if they could eliminate all sources that now have the documentary. The Australian government/media can not control the internet. As long as Australian citizens have access to the internet they can find expendable somewhere. I have it at the top of my forum here so anyone can click on it an watch. The more Australians that know the truth- the better it will be for Schapelle. The people of Australia need to get their government to do something to help her. If the entire country of Australia was good and pissed-off the government will have to do something about this. Something needs to be done that produces results. More people need to see the documentary expendable- particularly in Australia. Australia can not possibly block out the entire internet. If the Australians search the internet for it- they will find it.

kaz cook said...

THE CANDIDATE SOURCES REPORT
On Wednesday 4th April, ex-Detective Sergeant Christopher Laycock will appear for sentencing in a Sydney court, for a string of offences. These stem from the Cobalt Report, which was presented by the Police Integrity Commission to Parliament in 2005, and which presents him as one of the most notorious criminals in Australian history.

But, what meets the eye will be something of a mirage. His last hearing, on 29th March 2012, was closed to the public, on account of a mysterious 30 page 'naming and shaming' document, which his lawyer had dramatically presented at the hearing previous to this. The AAP has subsequently reported what the court has instructed them to report.

The real story here is not only what is in that document, and why it has taken 8 years for Laycock to meet his fate, but what the New South Wales Crime Commission, and the AFP, have hidden from the public for 7 years.

THE LAYCOCK GANG
The Laycock gang, including John Robert Dunks, and David John Hopes, engaged almost every crime in the book. One was drug syndication. Indeed, a man called William Miller had named Dunks, on oath, to a court, as the man who had given him the job to pick up a quantity of marijuana from Sydney airport, on 8th October 2004.

You will recognize the date, and perhaps the name. Miller had been ridiculed by the media in July 2005, as a money chaser, when he broadly presented this story in the wake of Schapelle Corby's dysfunctional Bali trial.

The NSWCC and AFP? The Expendable Project have just published an extract from the minutes of a confidential NSWCC internal meeting, attended by Mark Standen, amongst others (header attached).

This confirms that Dunks was a 'Person Of Interest' in 2004, and that the NSWCC had secretly recorded a conversation between him, and Miller. The conversation corroborated Miller's account of the airport pickup job.

The NSWCC recognized the significance of this recording, and consulted a named officer within the AFP with this information.

But both parties sat on it. Schapelle Corby was never told. No-one was ever told.

No-one would ever have been told, had The Expendable Project not obtained those minutes.

kaz cook said...

William moss also known as william miller ..... WILLIM MOSS CONFRONTS THE ABC

William Moss was so affronted when the media trashed his credibility that he sued. He sued News Ltd and he sued the ABC. The ABC were aggressive and belligerent, threatening him with ruinous and bankrupting costs. Then came the Candidate Sources Report from The Expendable Project....
http://www.expendable.tv/2012/04/william-moss-v-abc.html

Saint_Michael1 said...

All good points Kaz. Although many things about this case were not unknown years ago- few people, particularly outside Australia knew about it. The truth is coming round for all to see. Thanks for posting the info.

kaz cook said...

“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”
Emile Zola

The time is coming for those who buried the truth, once all Australians awake from Schapelle's living nightmare and see they have been conned by those in power all hell is going to break lose!!1

kaz cook said...

oops that would be "loose" 1800 American soldiers in Darwin wont stop our nation from speaking out and standing up to what will be the biggest and most shameful coverup this country has ever seen!!!

kaz cook said...

The Australian government and it's departments along with the media and it's owners, need to be brought to justice. This is a Crime against humanity from those who are there to "Protect and Serve". There is no mention of this in the mainstream media, those who are guilty remain silent. It's time to bring Schapelle home she has suffered enough ... It's time for people to take action ... Please take some time to research the expendable project website and come up with your own conclusion, its not hard to see they all left a paper trail behind. Undeniable evidence exists but dont take my word for it, see if for yourself http:\\www.expendable.tv

Saint_Michael1 said...

Hi Kaz- you have a lot of energy girl, which is a good thing of course. I'm not sure if you are addressing me or just people in general. I am well aware of the expendable project and their video is posted on this forum up at the top right under "Schapelle Corby Videos". In one of your comments you mentioned something about "1800 American soldiers in Darwin...." What are 1800 American soldiers doing in Darwin? I'm not up on this and I'm an American. Are you saying that American soldiers are trying to stop Australians from speaking out about Schapelle Corby? Not sure what you mean Kaz.

Saint_Michael1 said...

Kaz- I thought that when you mentioned American soldiers in Australia this was something new. Are you referring to the East Timor UN operation or the fact there is a U S training base in Australia. Either way Kaz, American soldiers are not in Australia to prevent Australians from doing anything. American soldiers are not on call for the government of Australia. Don't worry about the American soldiers Kaz, they are a neutral force and not there to get involved with Australian civil or political disputes. Never happen. It's not the Americans you have to worry about concerning Schapelle Corby- it's the Australian government you need to keep an eye on.

kaz cook said...

LOL Saint Michael ... I just got a bit excited in my Post forgot that rant when I clicked to post I could not see that line .... was going to delete that reference LOL but did not know how... and yes we need to keep more than an eye on the Australian Govpernment. Sorry I love Americans they too have a corrupt government!!!

kaz cook said...

And yes Saint Michael I realise you are aware of expendable :)

Saint_Michael1 said...

Okey dokey- we're good then. : )

kaz cook said...

One could not help but be paranoid in this day and age, regarding anything the government does, not just in Australia but around the world. Who really knows what their intentions are but my advice is to Question everything they do because nothing is ever what it seems.

Saint_Michael1 said...

Careful Kaz, Big Brother is watching. Just kidding don't get paranoid : )

kaz cook said...

With the ongoing lies, coverups and corruption in the Schapelle Corby case as exposed by The Expendable Project one would have to wonder what else has been hidden, who else is expendable, what other lies have we been told!!!
Schapelle's case did not add up from the very start …how the hell did it get through 3 Australian airports without being detected. WHO in their right mind would take that amount of MJ to bali in a unlocked bag with their name on it and then try to sell it for a quarter of what they paid for it. DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!!
Why would Mick Keelty come out and state just a few weeks before the verdict that "There is very little intelligence to suggest that baggage handlers are using innocent people to traffic heroin or other drugs between states". Why would he say this when he knew and had OFFICIAL reports OF CORRUPTION at Sydney airport. Mick Keelty was in possession of the Kessing Reports, Allan Kessing was a Customs Officer who wrote two official reports which documented corruption and systemic insecurity at Sydney International Airport in 2004/5. These were leaked to the media shortly after Schapelle Corby's trial. However, instead of confronting the clear implications, particularly with respect to Schapelle Corby, the Howard government engaged a political pursuit of Allan Kessing himself.
The Law Council of Australia condemned Keelty's clearly damaging and false pre-verdict comments.
Why was Detective Christopher Laycock, the son of a former assistant commissioner of Police, sacked from the NSW Police Service in November 2004? Why did it take 7 years for him to be sentenced?
Why did the NSW Crime Commission use a listening device and record 2 of Laycock’s gang on the same day schapelle flew to bali, which revealed the Pickup of MJ from Sydney airport. Why did they consult a named AFP officer. Why did they choose to hide it from the public?.
Assistant Director of the NSW Crime Commission, Mark Standen, who as an ex-AFP officer, had worked in the same office as AFP Commissioner Michael Keelty, in Sydney

Mark Standen was head of Operation Mocha, which was an investigation into the drug syndication ring which was active at Sydney Airport at the very same time as Schapelle Corby passed through. Why was Mark Standen .charged and sentenced to 20 years in Jail?
WHY IS SCHAPELLE CORBY SERVING 20 YEARS FOR A CRIME SHE DID NOT COMMITT.
FIND OUT THIS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE @ www.expendable.tvport $120 million of pre-cursor drugs in 2011

KAZ said...

LOL Saint Michael Big Brother is always watching... There is a pic going around FB atm that says ...WE DO NOT NEED TO BE UNDER SURVELLIENCE THE GOVERNMENT DOES! TOO TRUE!!

Anonymous said...

Her dad grew it brother stashed she may have known. He could have grown high grade in that space most people don't know that soil grown is better than hydroponics with the correct nutrients as hydro is much better yield. High grade in Bali is worth allot as it is anywhere even when its legal. massively dumb risk to take but then her family and also her don't come across as intelligent. Also she states she new it was weed by smell if it was vac packed it does not smell. my friend used to get kg sent from Holland no smell best high grade. sometimes people want to over complicate things.

Saint_Michael1 said...

When you are saying something you can't prove you should state that it is your opinion- because that is all it is. My opinion is: she is innocent, and she and her family have suffered a grave injustice.

Anonymous said...

Dear Blog Author

The National Library of Australia is interested in contacting the author of this blog with regard to its possible inclusion within PANDORA: Australia's Web Archive. We were unable to locate any contact details onsite and are requesting that if you are interested in your blog being archived that you contact us at: webarchive [at] nla.gov.au.

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Saint_Michael1 said...

Thank you but I believe I'll pass on that.

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