OMEN
04-27-2006, 10:19 AM
BALI Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are a step closer to Indonesian firing squads after their appeals against death penalties for heroin smuggling were dismissed.
The two Sydney men were sentenced to death in February for organising a failed heroin importing ring, all of whose members were arrested in Bali in the final hours of a bid to transport 8.3kg of the drug to Australia.
The Bali High Court has considered appeals from eight of the nine gang members, after convicted mule Scott Rush elected not to contest his life sentence. All conspirators bar Chan and Sukumaran were given jail terms. High Court clerk Ni Made Sudarmini said yesterday Sukumaran and Chan's death penalties had been upheld, although there were minor quibbles with the Bali District Court's handling of the latter's case.
"Sukumaran's verdict has been upheld without qualification, and Chan's with qualification," Ms Sudarmini said, refusing to elaborate. he High Court is still considering the six other appeals, from Rush's fellow couriers Renae Lawrence, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj, arrested with Chan at Denpasar airport on April 17 last year, and from Tan Duc Than Nguyen, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen, arrested in a Kuta hotel room with Sukumaran later the same day.
News.AU
The two Sydney men were sentenced to death in February for organising a failed heroin importing ring, all of whose members were arrested in Bali in the final hours of a bid to transport 8.3kg of the drug to Australia.
The Bali High Court has considered appeals from eight of the nine gang members, after convicted mule Scott Rush elected not to contest his life sentence. All conspirators bar Chan and Sukumaran were given jail terms. High Court clerk Ni Made Sudarmini said yesterday Sukumaran and Chan's death penalties had been upheld, although there were minor quibbles with the Bali District Court's handling of the latter's case.
"Sukumaran's verdict has been upheld without qualification, and Chan's with qualification," Ms Sudarmini said, refusing to elaborate. he High Court is still considering the six other appeals, from Rush's fellow couriers Renae Lawrence, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj, arrested with Chan at Denpasar airport on April 17 last year, and from Tan Duc Than Nguyen, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen, arrested in a Kuta hotel room with Sukumaran later the same day.
News.AU