Corby will be protected at court:

08:34 AEST Thu May 26 2005

Schapelle Corby's financial backer has refused to confirm if a death threat has been made against her, but says everything will be done to protect the accused drug smuggler at her court appearance in Indonesia on Friday.

Corby, 27, is to appear in Denpasar District Court on Friday to hear the verdict in the drug smuggling case against her.

She told radio station 2GB she was afraid an extremist would try to kill her on her way to court on Friday, Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

"Someone might come and try to stab me," Corby told a radio reporter smuggled into Bali's Kerobokan jail by one of her main backers, Queensland businessman Ron Bakir.

Mr. Bakir would not confirm whether a death threat had been made against Corby.

He said Corby was scared and all efforts would be made to protect her on Friday.

Corby, a former Gold Coast beauty student, is facing a possible life sentence on a charge of trying to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Indonesia last October.

Mr. Bakir, who has financed Corby's legal defence, said he saw her in her prison cell on Wednesday.

"She's in pretty bad shape, as you can imagine. It's a big day tomorrow for her, she's very nervous. You sit and talk to her and she's shaking permanently throughout the conversation."

He said he could not go into the issue of a death threat.

"All I can say is, Schapelle is scared and doesn't know what's going to happen," Mr. Bakir said.

"We'll do everything we can to protect her tomorrow and we'll do everything we can to ensure she's safe and let justice prevail."

Mr. Bakir said Corby's defence team had not told her the three judges hearing her case had never acquitted anyone on drugs charges.

"We haven't told her that because she's under enough strain," he said.

"The girl is in very, very bad shape. We obviously don't want to go into those issues with her because she's under enough strain as it is."

13:48 AEST Thu May 26 2005

A federal inquiry into airport security has been reopened in the wake of the Schapelle Corby case and claims of drug smuggling through Sydney airport.

Last year, federal parliament's joint committee of public accounts and audit released a report on aviation security.

But committee chairman and NSW Liberal MP Bob Baldwin announced the inquiry would be reopened to take further evidence in the light of recent cases.

Mr. Baldwin said the cases included Corby's claim to a Bali court that drugs were planted in her boogie board bag by rogue airport baggage handlers.

The inquiry would also examine security in the light of the alleged Sydney airport cocaine ring, the dismissal of a Qantas baggage handler for wearing a passenger's camel outfit, the unreadiness of new rapid deployment security teams until July 2005 and revelations that some contract airport workers do not have ID cards.

"We are greatly concerned by recent reports of security breaches at Australian airports," Mr. Baldwin said.

"The committee will review incidents since our last report in June 2004 to ensure that the Australian public is not being placed in harm's way."

The Australian Federal Police, state and federal transport officials, spy agency ASIO, airlines, unions and airport security whistleblowers will be invited to give evidence.

Mr. Baldwin denied suggestions that the reopening of the inquiry meant that the government had failed to take up the committee's recommendations from last year.

But committee deputy chair and NSW Labor MP Sharon Grierson said despite the government's assurances about new security measures, there was much evidence that not enough was being done.

"The research that we've done shows there have been continuing incidents, and we are concerned about the incidents that we don't know about."

Mr. Baldwin said during the reopened inquiry he hoped to chart the progress of a bag from passenger drop-off to pick-up.

Public submissions will be sought this week and the committee has left its reporting date open.

Latest News: Corby, 27, is to appear in Denpasar District Court tomorrow to hear the verdict in the drug smuggling case against her.

Schapelle Corby will be supported by 92% of the Australian public who believe she is innocent of all charges. More Info >>