On Friday 17 March 2006, the evidence that could prove Schapelle Corby's innocence will be destroyed by the Indonesian Authorities.

Schapelle's lawyers are urgently pushing to have tests done as a last ditch effort to prove their client's innocence.

"They haven't even allowed her lawyers to fully exhaust all avenues of appeal before they destroy the evidence that has yet to be tested" says Kay Danes, an advocate for the Foreign Prisoner Support Service.

"Australia has given Indonesia billions of dollars over the past few years for Customs, Law enforcement and forensic training and yet, at no time during Schapelle's arrest did any Indonesian authorities wear protective gloves, nor did they bother to finger print her boogey board bag, or test the cannabis as you would expect any law enforcement agency to do" says Kay Danes. "What hope does an Australian citizen ever have to a fair trial when these basic protocols are not even followed?"

Contrary to media reports, the lawyers for Schapelle Corby have, from the day she was arrested in October 2004 till now, continued to request Indonesian Authorities test the Marijuana discovered in her boogey board bag.

On December 3, 2004, having sighted the papers Schapelle Corby signed giving her consent for the tests to be done, the Australian Federal Police [AFP] formally offered assistance to the Indonesian police to conduct DNA tests on the cannabis. However, in early January 2005, the Corby family were advised that the Indonesian police would not give any of the cannabis to the AFP for testing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said the Indonesians refused requests by the Australian Federal Police to test the cannabis Ms Corby allegedly tried to smuggle.

The AFP wanted to test the drug to ascertain its source because Ms Corby claimed it was not in her luggage when she left Australia and must have been planted there in Bali.

"The defence lawyers wanted it done, we asked, and yes, it's true the Indonesian police didn't agree to hand over any of the cannabis for testing," Mr Downer said.

Mr Downer said the Indonesians said they "were perfectly capable of doing that sort of testing themselves".

During the first court hearing, the high court and the supreme court hearing, the lawyers for Schapelle again asked for the cannabis to be tested. The judges refused.

Schapelle Corby will ultimately suffer yet another blow of injustice when on Friday 17 March 2006, her final hopes are destroyed along with the evidence that could have cleared her of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, it seems the Australian Government will say nothing and do nothing to aid in the defence of one of its own citizens' legal rights, which will be violated for the sake of maintaining good bilateral relations with Indonesia.

Copyright FPSS 2006