Monday, June 27, 2005

Schapelle Corby: Something Doesn't Add Up
It was cool when you had hella **** to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked
--Jay Z


I've scoured just about every news report coming out of Australia and Southeast Asia on Corby, the beauty school student who happened to get nabbed with a 4.1 kilos of marijuana at a Bali airport.

Well, a few things started to stand out.

1. She's relying on a conspiracy amongst the baggage handlers. Now, this isn't totally implausible, especially when you hear that one of the chief methods of drug transportation on earth is between baggage handlers at international airports, after and before customs at each end. But why would they miss the pickup on the Bali end? And why didn't Corby ask to have her bag weighed at both ends of the trip? Why didn't the defense look into it at trial?

2. The Australian authorities really aren't backing her up. Basically, the government has not been on her side since the beginning. You could say the Australians are trying not to upset the Indonesians because they are an "important trade partner", but let's get real: The Indonesians need Australia more than Australia needs Indonesia. Australia shores up security on the Solomon Islands, sends boatloads of travellers to Bali, and helps in any disaster situation (Tsunami, Banda Aceh) in about one second.

3. The Corby team is about as crooked as possible. Apparently, Corby's main main lawyer has admitted to bribing judges. Not a good sign:
"As a lawyer I am not clean, I have to confess that... but for this case I am temporarily clean," said Hotman Paris Hutapea the legendary fix-it man of Indonesia's commercial courts.

He hated hypocrites, he said, and so was not going to deny he has sent money to judges in the past.

Add to that, a there are concerns that her legal fund has been misappropriated and that there are "unnamed millionaires" (not Bakir) backing her legal fund means the case gives me the uber-willies. A drug charge case bankrolled by anonymous millionaires? Hmmm.

Warning: This post gets into the unsubstantiated internet rumour gossip.

I have heard from a friend of the Australian authorities, that the Aussie police were already building a case against Corby from their side of the water. Apparently, the story goes that Corby visited Bali up to six times in the last 2 years and that every time she visited her bank account went through the roof. Apparently, her associations with more than a few of Australia's shadiest characters also made her a suspicious character with The Man.

All this is hardly proof of guilt, but it does mean that before Australians and Westerners automatically assume Corby is an innocent maiden in distress, they should realize that there is a distinct possibility she is guilty. Her only reasons for getting the attention that 155 other imprisoned Australians in Bali are not receiving are that she is a) attractive, b) female, c) young and d) is travelling abroad (like the rest of the country).

*Having said all that, I have taken to anxiously taping and securing every checked bag that goes through customs. And I'm thanking my lucky stars that I'm now only flying out of southeast asia.*

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