Alexander Downer thought Schapelle Corby was innocentBy Claire Harvey June 22, 2008 01:14am
Documentary reveals new details in Corby case Her lawyer admits he made up defence theory But he says Alexamber Downer suspected her brothers
FORMER Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told a lawyer for convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby she was innocent, according to an explosive TV documentary.
Corby's former defence lawyer, Robin Tampoe, makes the claim in an interview for the film Schapelle Corby: The Hidden Truth, which runs over three hours and screens tonight and on Tuesday night on Channel 9.
Mr Tampoe also admits fabricating the defence theory that Australian baggage handlers could have planted the drugs in Corby's luggage.
"Baggage handlers didn't put drugs in the bag. Nothing to do with it," says Mr Tampoe, whom Schapelle Corby sacked in May 2005 immediately after she was sentenced to 20 years' jail.
"Now she (Schapelle Corby) believes it. They all f---in' believe it. It's not true. That's why you can't put direct evidence relating to baggage handlers."
Mr Tampoe admitted running the defence after hearing an ABC radio talkback program where callers were discussing alleged corruption among airport staff.
He is no longer practising law, and will next month face a misconduct hearing before the Queensland Law Society, following a complaint by Schapelle Corby's sister, Mercedes Corby, which he is defending.
In the documentary, Mr Tampoe says it is "more likely than not that somebody other than baggage handlers put the drugs in her bag".
Asked what he would say to the baggage handlers of Australia, Mr Tampoe says: "Sorry about that, guys. Poor buggers . . . thanks for the defence."
Schapelle Corby, who turns 31 next month, is serving a 20-year sentence in Bali's Kerobokan prison for importing 4.2kg of marijuana, concealed in a boogie-board bag.
She has consistently maintained her innocence but appeals have been rejected by the Indonesian courts and the Government.
Corby's younger half-brother, James Kisina, was travelling with her on the day of her arrest and was initially carrying the boogie-board bag until Corby identified it as hers.
In the documentary, Corby denies "taking the rap" for Kisina, who was later convicted of drug possession and assault charges on his return to Queensland. Her elder brother, Michael Corby, and sister Mercedes, also appear in the film, denying any cover-up.
Sydney director and producer Janine Hosking, who made the film, had unprecedented access to the Corby family and supporters for three years and used hidden cameras for footage of Schapelle in jail.
Hosking smuggled cameras into Kerobokan prison to interview Corby and gained access to private meetings of the family, legal teams and advisers.
The documentary exposes the dramatic emotional landscape of Corby's life since 2004, revealing her to be a confused young woman, baffled by her predicament and surrounded by relatives and advisers apparently incapable of grasping the gravity of her situation.
As they bungle and brawl their way through the ordeal, the Corbys and their friends and associates repeatedly obfuscate about their relationships with one another.
Convicted Adelaide drug smuggler Malcolm McCauley, who visited Schapelle Corby in jail, claims in an extended interview he knows the truth about the shipment found in Corby's bag. He is also seen outside the prison with Mercedes Corby, offering to procur some "smoke" for his next visit.
However, Schapelle Corby denies being friends with McCauley.
Corby's late father Mick appears in the film, saying he considered confessing to planting the drugs in his daughter's bag to get her out of jail.
Corby's Indonesian defence lawyer Vasu Rasiah is seen discussing a plan to bribe the Balinese judges.
The plan was ultimately abandoned, according to the documentary, but an unidentified person later rang the mobile phone of Corby's supporter, Gold Coast entrepreneur Ron Bakir, claiming to represent the Balinese authorities and asking for a series of bribes to ensure a light sentence.
"I am asking for $400,000 in the beginning, and then for the second stage $250,000; the third stage in the Supreme Court another $250,000. That's it," says the caller.
"The last decision in the Supreme Court will be 12 years (sentence). That's it. And she just needs to be inside six years, that's all."
Bakir is seen refusing the offer. "I'm not interested. This is no good," he says.
Bakir then spoke about the bribe offer with Alan Jones on Sydney radio, leading to a dressing down from Corby's Indonesian lawyers who said he offended Indonesia and set back Schapelle's cause.
Corby's arrest, in October 2004, sparked a national controversy that culminated in then prime minister John Howard writing to her offering his personal sympathy.
Mr Downer consistently said the Federal Government was doing what it could to help Corby, and held meetings with her legal team and supporters.
The Government offered to engage Australian QCs to help with the case, and asked Indonesia to allow Australian Federal Police to test the drugs found in Corby's bag to determine their source. Jakarta denied the request and the drugs were later destroyed.
The documentary, originally called Schapelle Corby: Ganja Queen, will screen on American broadcaster HBO in August, which is promoting it as the "ultimate warning for all travellers". The promotion also says Schapelle was stuck with a family that couldn't find its way to the beach, let alone through the haze of the Indonesian legal system.
