| Submit your comments on this article | ||||
| Down Under | ||||
| Indonesians forge fake documents to convict Australian tourist | ||||
| 2005-08-26 | ||||
| A DOCUMENT in which Australian model Michelle Leslie admits to being an ecstasy addict is a fake, her Indonesian lawyer claimed today. "It is a fake document," Mohammad Rifan said of an alleged police record of interview with the Adelaide-born model, who is being held in Bali accused of possessing the party drug ecstasy. Media reports cited what was purported to be a photocopy of a signed, four-and-a half-page transcript of a Bali police interview with Ms Leslie on Wednesday. According to the alleged transcript, Ms Leslie had told her interrogators that she feared she was hooked on the drug, and had sought treatment for the problem in Australia. Mr Rifan did not say who might have forged such a document. But a transcript of interview was a confidential document and it "was not possible for Australian journalists to get that statement", he said. "So I am sure it is a fake."
He said anyone could make a forgery. "It is not difficult," he said. Ms Leslie was detained during a routine drug sweep outside a Bali dance party on Saturday, when police found two ecstasy pills wrapped in tissue paper in her handbag. According to the alleged transcript, Ms Leslie said she could not enjoy parties without taking ecstasy. However, her parents said she did not take drugs, and urine tests after her arrest were negative.
Mr Rifan also scoffed at separate claims by Bali drug squad chief Colonel Bambang Sugiarto that Ms Leslie had admitted to having an addiction. "Addicted? She's never talked about being addicted," he said.
Mr Rifan said documents pertaining to a criminal investigation should not be leaked. "Everyone must respect legal procedures that are applied in Indonesia," he said. Mr Rifan also brushed aside suggestions that an admission to being an addict would ensure leniency if Ms Leslie's case went to trial. Recently, another of Mr Rifan's clients, South Australian John Pyle, was handed a jail term of only five months, for using hashish in Bali, after he said he was addicted and was being treated by a doctor. No formal charges have been laid against Ms Leslie, but she is being held on suspicion of ecstasy possession, an offence that can carry a maximum term of 15 years in prison. Mr Rifan said he did not yet know whether his client would face that exact charge, and he urged police to conduct their investigation quickly. | ||||
| Posted by:God Save The World |
| #3 If you get caught with drugs in Indonesia, what you say is "How much does it cost to make this go away?" But be quick- you have about half an hour at most. Once the circus begins... |
| Posted by: Grunter 2005-08-26 11:00 |
| #2 As an Australian citizen, i would never consider going to Indonesia, especially after the Bali bomb attacks and the poor penalties handed down to those involved in the mass murder of innocent civilians from numerous countries. I heard on a radio talk back show this morning that if you get caught with drugs in Indonesia the best thing to do is to say you have a drug addiction problem and are seeking help, regardless if you are innocent or not... And if your a Muslim with a drug addiction, your sentence will be reduced substantially. |
| Posted by: God Save The World 2005-08-26 10:36 |
| #1 Have Australians ever considered not going to Indonesia for any reason? It seems that 15 years for two pills is a little stiff to me. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2005-08-26 09:59 |