NEWS: The Age 25/10/07- Aussie facing death in Bali: 1/2 oz of hash

[Chronik Fatigue]

Aussie facing death in Bali

Mark Forbes, Jakarta
October 25, 2007

A 50-YEAR-OLD executive from Melbourne could face the death penalty in Bali after prosecutors decided to charge him with trafficking marijuana and hashish.

Barry Hess, a former Ansett executive and general manager of Bali's collapsed airline Air Paradise, was arrested last month after police allegedly found 14.4 grams of hashish and 2.7 grams of marijuana in his Kuta home.

Initially police charged Hess with drug possession, which carries a 10-year sentence.

They claimed Hess admitted buying the drugs for personal use, and said a urine test detected the presence of drugs in his system.

At the opening of his court hearing yesterday, prosecutors announced they were also charging Hess with intending to sell the drugs, upgrading his possible penalty to execution.

They also included several alternative charges, the most lenient that of being a drug addict who had not reported to authorities. Such an offence is punishable by a maximum of six months' jail.

Prosecutors will nominate at the end of the trial what charge and penalty they believe is most appropriate, but the judges are not bound by their recommendations. The case will continue next week.

The Age

 

[Splatt]

I doubt he will get death.
Is possession manditory 10 years?

If this person dies I think that whole country should be blown up.

 

[JoeBloggs]

They also included several alternative charges, the most lenient that of being a drug addict who had not reported to authorities. Such an offence is punishable by a maximum of six months' jail.

Just being a fiend and keeping it to yourself is an actual penalty? I wonder if there are any laws like that here?

 

[juice_soldier]

Well, its what you get if you wanna mess with drugs in s.e asia...

 

[PsiloSubNaut]

He should have known better but still *breathes* i think the law makers should be shot.

All the Indo government figures sons and daughters have the money to go to uni and come back screwed up on drugs (mainly smack) and they just want to kill people for it.

Each to their own i guess

 

[Bent Mk2]

IMHO he should have known better. Right or wrong has nothing to do with it, everyone knows the penalty for getting caught with drugs over there. There's no way I'd ever consider it over there.