Australian could face severe sentence in Indonesia
From Brian Todd
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It's a case that an Australian official compares to the Michael Jackson affair for its sensationalism.
The sister of the accused has lashed out at the media, and the defendant herself fainted once outside the courtroom.
Inside the courtroom, an emerging pattern has left the judges frustrated.
Such is the ordeal of 27-year-old Schapelle Corby, an Australian beauty-school student arrested last October on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
Customs officials at the airport discovered a 9-pound bag of high-grade marijuana in her luggage.
Corby has always maintained it was planted there, after she checked her bag through in Sydney.
"I swear, by God as my witness, I did not know that marijuana was in my bag," Corby says.
But Corby is facing three judges and an Indonesian justice system determined to crack down on drug-trafficking.
Several death sentences have been handed down to foreign nationals in recent years.
Prosecutors have asked for a life sentence for Corby, but the judges could still sentence her to death by firing squad if they convict.
"Please look to your God for guidance in your judgment for me," Corby says.
As she pleads for her life, Corby seems to have a keen sense of how this case is playing back home.
An Australian official tells CNN that this story is dominant news every day, with popular sentiment favoring Corby's side.
Movie star Russell Crowe has joined the fray, telling an Australian radio program the government must apply more pressure.
"How we can as a country, stand by and let a young lady -- as an Australian -- rot away in a foreign prison? That is ridiculous," Crowe said on "The John Laws Morning Show."
Australian officials say the government will seek clemency if a death sentence is imposed -- but for now, this is a matter for the Indonesian courts, where a young lady appeals for compassion.
"I believe the seven months I've already been in prison is sufficient punishment for not putting locks on my bag. ... I don't know how long I can survive in here," Corby says.
At least one judge seems to have heard enough.
"I'm already 75-percent decided, but I can't tell you our conclusion," the judge says.
That conclusion could come any day now when the judges announce their verdict and sentence.
In the meantime, Australian officials say they're discussing the idea of a prisoner-transfer agreement with Indonesia -- opening the possibility that if Corby is convicted, she could serve her sentence at home.
