Bali Nine convict files appeal based on fresh evidence

Australian drug convict Martin Eric Stephens, one of the nine members of drug ring known as Bali Nine, has formally appealed to the Supreme Court on grounds of new evidence released by the Australian Federal Police.

The plea, which seeks to have Martin’s life sentence reduced or quashed, was filed by his legal team to the Denpasar District Court on April 9, court registrar Gede Ketut Rantam said Tuesday.

“We are still administering the papers before holding a session on May 7,” he said. After the trial is completed, the papers would then be forwarded to the Supreme Court for its ruling.

The papers cited a letter from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which said it had found new evidence that “Martin’s role in the attempted smuggling of heroin from Bali to Australia was considered by the AFP to be minor.”

“There is no indication that Martin was an organizer or aware of the details relating to the crime. Nor does the AFP possess information to indicate that he has been involved in previous drug-smuggling offenses,” the report said.