DENPASAR, Bali: An Indonesian prosecutor denied on Wednesday that the drug smuggling conviction of an Australian beautician was flawed because there was no fingerprint evidence tying her to the marijuana found in her bag.

Lawyers for Schapelle Corby have lodged a final appeal against her 20-year jail sentence for smuggling 4.1 kg of marijuana into Bali in a high-profile case that has transfixed Australia.

Corby has said the drugs found in her bodyboard bag at Bali's international airport were placed there by someone at an Australian airport.

"There was no need to fingerprint the evidence (the bag of marijuana) because it was evident that it was in the bag belonging to the convict," Prosecutor Suhadi said in a written submission to the Denpasar district court trying the appeal case.

"What has been submitted by the plaintiff was not an argument based on law but merely a conclusion because the plaintiff was unable to present evidence that could prove that the bodyboard bag in which 4.1 kg of marijuana was found did not belong to the convict," he said as quoted by Reuters.

As part of her final appeal, her lawyer, Erwin Siregar, had sought to obtain footage from security cameras at the Australian airport the day she flew into Bali on Oct. 8, 2004, to prove that the marijuana was not hers.

But the Australian government has told lawyers that no such footage showing Corby and her luggage existed. -- JP

Schapelle Corby Case Information

INDONESIAN prosecutors have rejected Schapelle Corby's last ditch appeal, saying there was no need for police to fingerprint the bodyboard bag in which she is alleged to have concealed 4.1kg of marijuana.

"There was no need for fingerprinting because the evidence was inside the convict's bag," said prosecutor Suhadi, in his written rejection of Corby's bid to overturn her 20-year sentence for drug smuggling.

Corby last month applied to Indonesia's Supreme Court for a judicial review of her case - the last chance court appeal before she pleads for clemency.

She insists the marijuana found in her bodyboard bag at Denpasar airport in October 2004 was planted by members of a drug ring operating at Australian airports.

One plank of her final appeal was that as police had not checked for fingerprints on the plastic bag containing the marijuana, prosecutors had failed to prove she was a drug smuggler.

But Suhadi, in his response to the Corby appeal filed with the Denpasar District Court today, rejected the argument.

"That is not an argument but a mere conclusion by the appealer because the appealer has no evidence to show that the bodyboard bag with marijuana in it is not hers."

Suhadi also said Corby's lawyers had argued that importation could only occur if organised and conducted by a high-scale drugs business network.

"Narcotics importation is by nature forbidden, whether it is in big amount or small amount, it is the same thing," he said.

Hopes by Corby's lawyers that airport closed circuit TV footage might clear their client were dashed during the appeal hearings.

A letter from Justice Minister Chris Ellison said there was no CCTV footage from Sydney airport to back claims the marijuana had been planted.

The arguments by Corby's lawyers, and prosecutors' counter-arguments, will be sent to the Supreme Court in Jakarta, which will rule whether there is enough reason to reopen her case.

Schapelle Corby Case Information