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Shapelle Corby revisited

Richard Ackland, lawyer, writer, publisher of The Justinian and a weekly op-ed writer for the SMH, this week raises some prickly questions about the whole Shapelle Corby case.

"..... there are "disturbing" elements of her case that it is proper we question, even at the risk of being immature, counterproductive or lacking the famous Howardesque circumspection.

A smattering of the evidentiary holes makes me "feel for the girl", too. There was no evidence as to the weight of her luggage before leaving Brisbane airport and after arrival at Denpasar. There was no attempt to fingerprint the bag and the package containing the marijuana. There was also a refusal by the Indonesian police to allow the Australian Federal Police to test the drugs to determine their origin. A case conducted in our system with such shortcomings would be a weak prosecution indeed, leading to an acquittal.

On top of that, the trial was conducted in shambolic conditions. The chief judge, Linton Sirait, said at one point that "as far as I can remember in a drugs case I haven't yet set anyone free". After the trial he told a reporter for The Sunday Telegraph that the defence was like a "crying competition"."

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