Court told to reject Bali Nine appeal

INDONESIAN prosecutors have called on the country's Supreme Court to reject Bali Nine drug mule Martin Stephens' final appeal against his life sentence.

The Denpasar District Court today officially accepted Stephens' so-called judicial review and will now forward it to the Supreme Court for consideration.

But prosecutor Eddy Arta Wijaya said the key evidence that underpins the appeal - a letter from former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty that describes Stephens as a minor player in the heroin smuggling plot - contained "nothing new".

"We ask the Indonesian Supreme Court in Jakarta in charge of examining this case ... to reject this judicial review," he said.

Stephens (pictured) was arrested at Bali airport on April 17, 2005 with 2.9kg of heroin strapped to his legs and stomach.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2006, a sentence later upheld by a higher court and the Supreme Court.

If his judicial review fails his final avenue will be a plea for clemency from Indonesia's president.

Four other Bali Nine members - Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Thanh Nguyen and Matthew Norman - are also serving life sentences. Renae Lawrence is serving 20 years.

The three others - Scott Rush, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran - are on death row.

They are also expected to lodge their judicial reviews this year.

Source: heraldsun.com.au, June 3, 2010

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