Australian PM promises to assist Corby

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has promised that his government will do whatever it can to assist Schapelle Corby's legal team. He said this as part of a three page letter sent in response to a request from Corby herself.

"Let me assure you that the Australian Government will continue to provide every assistance it can under our legal system, consistent with our approach to date," he said.

Corby was recently sentenced by an Indonesian court to 20 years in jail for attempting to smuggle four kilograms of marijuana into the island of Bali. The case has been controversial in Australia, with many people believing she is innocent and that the legal process was unfair.

It has been alleged that the drugs were planted in Ms. Corby's luggage by baggage handlers, as part of a smuggling ring internal to Australia, and that they were not collected by the intended "pick up", leaving them in Ms. Corby's possession when she arrived in Bali. The Bali High Court decided during an appeal that new evidence should be heard in the case. During the original case a number of key witnesses were not called.

Corby's lawyers are now collecting new information and preparing for the case. Mr Howard pledged to support them in this process.

"Looking ahead, the Australian government will do what it can to support your legal team as they work to collect further evidence in Australia", he said.