Thursday 7 December 2006

Schapelle Corby, whose new book was recently published, selling 17,000 copies since its release in November, has angered members of the legal team that was assembled to defend her, following her arrest in Bali in 2004.

The book described Vasu Rasiah, one member of the team, as "a money-hungry bully". In response, Rasiah has said that he will

reveal "the truth" about her drug smuggling conviction unless she backs off criticising his reputation.

Who says books don't count for much? This one has raised as few hackles in Indonesia. Rasiah appeared on the ABC's 7.30 Report last night speaking good English and evidently having read the book.

In another story, Schapelle's sister Mercedes, who is married to a Balinese man and who orchestrated the defence, rejected Rasiah's complaint.

"He can't be trusted ... he is obviously lashing out because he does not like what is in the book," Mercedes told AAP.

The sticking point seems to be offers made by the Australian federal police to take samples of the maijuana that was found in Schapelle's boogie-board bag and to test its DNA, in an effort to find out where the drug originated. If they did so they could ascertain whether the drug originated in Schapelle's home state of Queensland. Mercedes apparently vetoed the test.

Mr Rasiah told the ABC: "We even got a couple of samples from Bali police for this testing".

But Mercedes rejected that, saying Schapelle signed her consent for the tests but the Indonesian police refused to release samples.

Mercedes also refutes allegations by the ABC that Schapelle may have met someone in the pre-dawn light immediately prior to boarding the aircraft that took her to Bali.

And she said claims in the ABC report that Schapelle stopped to meet an Adelaide man on her way to Brisbane airport were "just crap".

"There was mum driving, Schapelle, James, Ally and Katrina in the car, they did not stop," Mercedes said.

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