Corby lawyer brands gun claim a lie

16:45 AEST Fri Aug 5 2005

Claims that Schapelle Corby's pistol-packing lawyer tried to take a gun into a meeting with Justice Minister Chris Ellison have taken relations between the two men to a new low.

Labeling Senator Ellison's claims a lie, flamboyant lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea says he left his pistol in his car before Thursday's meeting with Australian officials in Jakarta.

Ironically, the meeting between Corby's legal team and Senator Ellison was called to resolve a long-running row over the level of Australia's assistance for Corby's appeal.

Senator Ellison said Hutapea had tried to take a gun into the meeting, but was stopped because to do so would have been "entirely inappropriate".

"After we got over the first argument as to whether he should attend with his sidearm and his armed bodyguards, and we said that that wasn't on, the meeting then proceeded, I just said to him, let's cut the dramatics, let's cut the histrionics and do the job."

But the millionaire lawyer angrily denied carrying a pistol and accused Senator Ellison of seeking to destroy or destabilize Corby's appeal hopes.

"He must be a total liar, he is totally bullshit, I was checked by security at the hotel door and we never had any discussion about the pistol. I left my pistol in the car."

The heavily-jeweled Hutapea, who regularly carries an automatic pistol for protection against thieves, was whisked past metal detectors at the top Jakarta hotel where Thursday's meeting was held, although he was checked by security guards carrying hand-held metal detectors.

Earlier this week, journalists covering the reopening of Corby's trial in Bali saw a pistol in Hutapea's briefcase as he opened it to show off trial documents.

But Hutapea said to avoid any incident at his meeting with Senator Ellison, his sidearm was left with bodyguards and aides in his hulking Humvee military vehicle.

"I swear on my religious beliefs, I swear before Jesus Christ, I did not have it, this Ellison is trying to destroy my reputation and this case. He is a minister engaging in total sabotage and it will only hurt a poor lady like Corby."

Hutapea has been critical of the federal government since taking on Corby's case, accusing Senator Ellison of not doing enough to smooth a path for witnesses to give evidence supporting the Gold Coast woman's claim of innocence.

One of Indonesia's top lawyers, Hutapea hinted he was thinking of quitting the case if the current appeal failed and Corby's plea against a 20-year sentence for drug smuggling moved to the peak Supreme Court.

Senator Ellison said the gun incident showed something about Hutapea.

"The Australian Federal Police who were with me said that there was no way in the world they were going to let anyone come into a meeting with weapons, so we rejected that, but quite frankly, I think that demonstrates an aspect of this man's character."

Following the meeting with Hutapea, Senator Ellison wrote to the Bali High Court to support the lawyer's request to have Corby's trial reopened for a second time to hear evidence from witnesses in Australia by video link, but one of the men the defence team hopes to field, and who claims 4.1kg marijuana found in Corby's luggage was meant for him, admitted he was not absolutely certain they were the same drugs.

William Miller has claimed that he was offered $50,000 to collect the marijuana found in Corby's luggage at Bali airport last October.

A man who claims the marijuana found in the luggage of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was meant for him admits that he is not absolutely certain they are the same drugs.

The stash was planted after Corby checked in at Brisbane airport and was supposed to be collected in Sydney during transit to Bali, but a baggage handler missed the package and it ended up in Bali, according to Mr. Miller.

Mr. Miller again recounted how he had been asked to pick up a package from Sydney airport in exchange for a $50,000 fee.

"I heard nothing about it for a while and when Schapelle got arrested, then the fellow that approached me said don't worry about it, it's gone to Bali."

Mr. Miller admitted that he was not 100 per cent certain that the drugs that ended up in Corby's luggage were the ones meant for him.

"I don't absolutely know (they were the ones meant for me), I can only go on what the fellow said to me, that they've gone to Bali, I can only surmise that it's those (drugs). Who else has been arrested in Bali for marijuana?"

He said he had two conversations with the person who approached him to pick up the drugs, once when asked if he would do the job and then when he was told not to worry about it.

Asked why he wanted immunity, Mr. Miller said: "I would have been done for conspiracy, before or after the fact for drug trafficking."