Remaining Hopeful

After an over dramatic media circus on Friday, Schapelle and her defense team were told that they had won a 10 day delay in their appeal so that they may gain access to CCTV videos of the baggage handling area in Brisbane where her bags were originally checked before being shipped to Sydney and onwards to Bali. It is the hope of her defense team that by gaining access to these videos they may be able to pinpoint where and how the drugs came to be in her bag.

However within hours of this news being announced, Chris Ellison, the Minister of Justice and Customs in Australia quickly announced that these videos no longer exist. It is being said that the tapes were wiped on November 4, 2004.

I find it very sketchy that Mr Ellison can make claims that he is certain that the tapes were in proper working order following claims they were tampered with several times during the fall of 2004. We later found out that there was an internal drug ring operating within the airports during this time. How can Mr Ellison be so certain that these tapes were working properly if they have been destroyed? And if it is true that they are no longer in existance then my question is why in the world would they allow the tape from October 8th to be destroyed knowing that it could potentially be crucial evidence for one of their own citizens??

I am not certain that the tapes will mysteriously surface, but I remain hopeful that the hearts and minds of the judges are open enough to see the many faults in the prosecutions arguement which put Schapelle in jail for 20 years. I pray that the judges see the argument for reasonable doubt and that they acquit her.

The Final Appeal

In only a few short days, Schapelle's world could change again....this time, any change in her sentence can only be a positive one. Her legal team has launched an extraordinary appeal with has called for a judical review of her case. This sort of review is different than her last appeal because it is not possible for her sentence to be increased any further. As we all know her last appeal saw her previously cut sentence go from 15 back to 20 years.

This time, her lawyer and in my opinion a total God-send, Erwin Siregar, has launched a judicial review which will be presented to three new judges. The appeal is asking the judges to understand that Schapelle's case was flawed and that she was never actually proven guilty. These types of appeals normally have to have new evidence being brought forth to the court. Her lawyers have not been successful at producing any new evidence but have sought the advice of an expert on Indonesian law to help hilight the flaws in her trial.

At the moment this is scheduled to take place this Friday. Because of the time difference it is possible that we may know the outcome late Thursday nite or early Friday morning in Canada...I know I will be awake until I know the outcome and will post immediately. If you have followed Schapelle's fight for freedom at all, you understand how exhausting this whole ordeal must be for her and her family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. If you have written to Schapelle, know that she appreciates it. If you are one of the people who reads about her, feels sorry for her and then does nothing....its not too late to do something....send your support...she needs it.

If nothing else keep your fingers crossed for her...the outcome of this appeal could be huge...it could potentially reaffirm her sentence, reduce it or it could set her free! Heres to hoping justice prevails!

ALREADY...there has been a delay. Within one hour of posting this entry, it was announced that the final appeal will be pushed back one week due to a public hoilday in Bali. It will now be held on Friday August 25th. More time for letters of support!!