Jakarta Post 24 jan
Australian man faces life imprisonment for drug smuggling
DENPASAR, Bali (AP): An Australian man accused of smuggling heroin from Bali island should serve life in prison, prosecutors said Monday, the first sentencing recommendation for nine Australians being tried on the same charges.
The trials of the so called “Bali Nine” are being watched closely because relations between Australia and neighboring Indonesia could sour if the nine are sentenced to death - the maximum punishment under Indonesian law.
While judges are free to ignore prosecutors demands when sentencing, Monday’s recommendation in the trial of Scott Rush will likely be seen as an indication that the eight men and one women will escape the death penalty if they are found guilty.
Issuing the demand, Prosecutor Made Sudarmawan said Rush was a member of an international drug smuggling ring and his actions had “spoiled the image of Indonesia.”
All nine were arrested in April, five of them - including Rush - at Bali’s airport with heroin allegedly on their bodies, about to board a flight to Sydney. The other four were detained in a hotel on the island, allegedly planning a second heroin shipment.
The first verdicts in the cases are expected to be announced next month.
About 65 people are currently awaiting execution in Indonesia.Many are citizens of African and Asian countries, sentenced for drug offenses. Appeals can take more than 10 years. The country has executed at least five people since 2000 for various crimes.