Qantas staff to back Corby

18:05 AEST Tue Aug 2 2005

Two Qantas employees have arrived in Bali to testify at Schapelle Corby's reopened trial on Wednesday, as she attempts to overturn a 20-year jail term for drug smuggling.

As today's hearing approached, her Indonesian legal team and the Australian government remained at loggerheads over what assistance Canberra is providing her case.

The former Gold Coast student beautician was convicted on May 27.

But in a surprise move last month, the Bali High Court decided to reopen her hearing to take new evidence.

The new evidence was meant to be heard last week.

But Corby's lawyers had proceedings postponed to give them more time to gather new witnesses to back her claims that someone else stashed 4.1kg of marijuana in her luggage after she had checked in at Brisbane airport for a flight via Sydney to Bali last October.

Corby's celebrity lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said he would not release the names of the Qantas check-in officer and a baggage handler until they appeared in the Denpasar District Court.

But he said their testimony would "increase reasonable doubt" surrounding her case and establish "that there was nothing suspicious when Corby checked in".

Her legal team, particularly Mr. Hutapea, has criticised the Australian government over what assistance it is providing Corby and has hit back at claims that it has not provided Canberra with enough information.

"If they say we have not done anything, that's bullshit," Mr. Hutapea said in Bali, showing reporters a stack of letters he had sent to Australian authorities.

An offer of a meeting with Justice Minister Chris Ellison, who is travelling to Indonesia, was rebuffed because Mr. Hutapea was interviewing last minute witnesses, including the Qantas employees.

"I think it is unfortunate that he's adopted that attitude," Senator Ellison told reporters before leaving for Indonesia.

Senator Ellison made a last-ditch offer yesterday morning to talk with Mr. Hutapea, who on Monday launched a broadside at the government over its actions in the Corby case.

Another lawyer on the Corby case indicated that while they were keen to talk to Senator Ellison, he should make the effort to travel from Jakarta to Bali to see them.

"We really want to meet with Mr. Chris Ellison ... He can come to Bali, the problem is we have to prepare our defence for Schapelle, if Mr. Ellison call Mr. Hotman now, I guarantee Mr. Hotman will pick up the phone," he said.

The government has offered to arrange video-link facilities in Australia so a new witness, a Victorian prisoner known only as Paul, can testify at the hearing, but it has been frustrated because the Corby legal team has not indicated whether the arrangements needed to be made.

Paul allegedly fingered a drug king pin who he said was angry that 4.1 kg of marijuana he claimed belonged to him ended up in Bali after a bungled attempt to smuggle it from Brisbane to Sydney in Corby's luggage.

"We do need to know whether he's applied for permission from the court for teleconferencing, now that is crucial and that's something were pursuing Mr. Hutapea on, but unfortunately he's not responded to our requests and we'll continue to offer assistance, but there's only so much we can do."

Corby's defence may apply for another extension of the proceedings on Wednesday to arrange for Paul's evidence to be heard.

Schapelle Corby's legal team has said it has not given up hope of having her freed.

Attempts to have the former Queensland beauty student's conviction and 20-year jail term for drug smuggling quashed hit a snag on Wednesday when a Bali court refused to give her lawyers more time to produce witnesses in her appeal.

Corby's defence team now plans to lodge a new appeal and ask for a time extension from the Bali High Court to get new witnesses to appear by video-link. "I do hope that we can be successful doing that," Mr. Siregar said.

Two Qantas staff told the court they had checked in Corby's baggage at Brisbane airport and had noticed nothing unusual.

Another Corby lawyer, the flamboyant Hotman Paris Hutapea, accused the prosecution of losing more than half a kilogram of the 4.1kg drug stash. As judges and lawyers from both sides crowded around the bag in Denpasar District Court, the defence team produced a set of bathroom scales which appeared to show the bag of drugs had dropped in weight to 3.6kg.

Mr. Hutapea is planning to meet Justice Minister Chris Ellison in Jakarta. Mr. Siregar said he was meeting the chief of Bali's High Court to discuss whether Australian witnesses could give evidence via video-link if the case is given an extension.

"We never give up, not on our life (will we) give up," he said.